Election Officials Warn Mail System Issues Could Disrupt Voting

State and local election officials throughout the United States issued a warning on Wednesday regarding ongoing issues with the U.S. Postal Service that could disenfranchise voters ahead of the upcoming presidential election. In a concerning letter addressed to the U.S. Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, they pointed to long-standing deficiencies in mail delivery as a significant threat to the integrity of the electoral process.

Over the past year, including during the recent primary elections, election officials observed that ballots postmarked within the required timeframe were frequently arriving late at local election offices. Many ballots were received days after the official deadline for counting. Additional complaints highlighted improperly addressed election mail that was returned as undeliverable, potentially causing some voters to be improperly classified as inactive through no fault of their own.

The letter was sent by two national organizations representing top election administrators from all 50 states. They expressed frustration over the lack of resolution to these concerning issues, stating that problems encountered were not isolated incidents or specific to a certain location, but indicative of a broader lack of understanding and enforcement of postal policies among USPS staff.

In their message, election officials urged DeJoy to implement immediate and effective corrective actions to improve the reliability of election mail services. They cautioned that failure to address these issues could severely jeopardize voter participation and erode public trust in the electoral process.

Despite repeated efforts to engage with the Postal Service, the officials reported a lack of progress in resolving these dire concerns. The timing of this letter coincided with DeJoy’s recent claims that the Postal Service is adequately prepared to manage the anticipated influx of mail ballots for the presidential election set for November.

In 2020, over 69 million ballots were sent through the mail amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which marked a significant increase from previous years. While this number might decrease for the upcoming election, many voters have adapted to mail-in voting, as both major political parties continue to encourage their supporters to vote early, whether in person or by mail.

The letter was dispatched on the same day that the first mail ballots for the current year’s general election began going out to absentee voters in Alabama. USPS representatives previously stated that nearly all ballots in 2020 and 2022 were returned within a three-day window, and DeJoy has expressed a commitment to achieving an even higher success rate this election cycle.

Yet, officials in rural states have raised ongoing concerns regarding USPS operational decisions, particularly following mail processing center consolidations aimed at cost-cutting. Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who recently sent his own communication to DeJoy, noted that nearly 1,000 ballots from the state’s August primary election could not be counted because they arrived late or lacked postmarks. The situation has raised alarm bells in Kansas, with some ballots arriving without postmarks and thereby disqualified under state law.

In his remarks, Schwab suggested that local ballot drop boxes provide a more secure alternative for voters compared to traditional mail methods. His stance diverges from other Republican leaders who have unfoundedly claimed that such drop boxes could lead to electoral fraud. Schwab has called for voters to take control over the delivery of their ballots to avoid potential errors involving the USPS.

The correspondence also shed light on troubling reports from election officials nationwide, indicating that USPS staff, including both managers and mail carriers, are frequently uninformed about the service’s election mail handling policies. This has resulted in inconsistent guidance and instances of ballot misdelivery. The officials expressed that no amount of communication could compensate for the Postal Service’s failure to stick to its own delivery timelines.

Election officials commented that they require a reliable partnership with USPS, emphasizing the importance of efficient mail service for upholding the integrity of elections. Concerns echoed by election officials highlight the need for urgent attention to rectify these ongoing issues.

Source: AP News