Newslooks/ TOPEKA, Kan. / Election officials across the U.S. are warning that ongoing problems with the U.S. Postal Service could disrupt voting in the 2024 presidential election. In a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, the officials cited significant delays in mail delivery, particularly with ballots being returned late or marked undeliverable. They stressed that these issues could disenfranchise voters and urged immediate corrective action to ensure a smooth election process.
Key Points:
- Ballot Delays: Officials reported widespread delays in receiving mailed ballots during primary elections, despite being postmarked on time.
- Potential Voter Disenfranchisement: Election mail being returned as undeliverable could lead to voters being marked as “inactive,” risking confusion and potential disenfranchisement on Election Day.
- Urgent Appeal: The letter from state election officials implores DeJoy to address the Postal Service’s performance issues before the November election.
- Ongoing USPS Issues: The Postal Service has been consolidating mail centers, raising concerns about its ability to handle large volumes of mail in rural areas, which could further impact timely ballot delivery.
- Election Security: Officials urged voters to consider alternative voting methods like drop boxes to ensure ballots reach their destinations on time.
Election Officials Warn of Potential Voting Disruption Due to US Mail Issues
State and local election officials from across the U.S. issued a stark warning on Wednesday, expressing concerns that ongoing problems with the nation’s mail system could disrupt the upcoming presidential election. The officials, in a strongly worded letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, highlighted persistent issues that they say have not been adequately addressed, which could lead to widespread voter disenfranchisement.
The letter detailed a range of problems, including ballots that were postmarked on time but received by election offices days after the deadline to be counted. Additionally, election mail that was properly addressed was being returned as undeliverable, a mistake that could lead to voters being placed on inactive status. This would require them to take extra steps to verify their eligibility, potentially causing confusion or chaos when voters show up to cast ballots on Election Day.
The election officials said that repeated efforts to work with the U.S. Postal Service to resolve these problems had failed, indicating that the issues were widespread and systemic. “These are not isolated incidents or one-off mistakes,” the letter stated. “This points to a pervasive lack of understanding and enforcement of USPS policies among its employees.”
The letter, signed by two major organizations representing election administrators in all 50 states — the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors — emphasized that time was running out for the Postal Service to fix these problems before the election on November 5.
Call for Urgent Action
“We implore you to take immediate and tangible corrective action to address the ongoing performance issues with USPS election mail service,” the letter read. “Failure to do so will risk limiting voter participation and erode trust in the election process.”
Election officials noted that the issues were evident throughout the 2024 primary season and that they impacted almost every state. Many of the problems were found in rural areas where mail service has historically been slower, but issues were also reported in more urban areas. Local election offices reported receiving ballots that were postmarked correctly but arrived well after the deadline, a significant problem for states that only count ballots received by Election Day.
The letter also pointed to the risk of improperly returned election mail automatically moving voters to “inactive” status. Under federal law, election officials are required to maintain accurate voter rolls, and mail returned as undeliverable can trigger this process, potentially complicating the voting process for people through no fault of their own.
Response from the U.S. Postal Service
A spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, DeJoy recently told the media that the Postal Service was well-prepared to handle the expected influx of mail-in ballots this November. He cited improvements in mail handling and stated that the service successfully managed a flood of ballots during the 2020 election.
In 2020, the global pandemic drove record numbers of Americans to vote by mail, with more than 69 million ballots sent through the mail system. While the pandemic has since subsided, many voters have embraced mail voting as a convenient alternative to in-person voting, and both political parties have encouraged early voting by mail as a way to ensure votes are counted.
Rising Concerns in Rural Areas
Despite assurances from DeJoy, officials in rural states have raised concerns about the Postal Service’s ongoing consolidation of mail-processing centers, which has been aimed at cutting costs. Kansas, for example, has seen significant slowdowns in mail delivery after seven mail-processing centers were closed in recent years.
Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who was one of the signatories of the letter to DeJoy, said that nearly 1,000 ballots from the state’s August 6 primary election arrived too late to be counted, even though many were postmarked on time. Schwab has been a vocal critic of the Postal Service and has urged voters to use local drop boxes rather than rely on the mail to return ballots.
“The Pony Express would be more reliable at this point,” Schwab remarked in a social media post last month, underscoring his frustration with the ongoing mail issues.
Potential for Chaos on Election Day
The letter from election officials also expressed concerns about the potential for significant disruption on Election Day if the mail system’s problems are not resolved. They warned that the return of election mail as undeliverable could cause voters to be flagged as inactive, requiring additional verification steps that could slow down the voting process and lead to long lines or confusion at polling places.
The issue of postmarks, or the lack thereof, is also a significant concern. Schwab noted that some ballots in Kansas arrived on time but without postmarks, making them ineligible to be counted under state law. Postal clerks, Schwab said, have told election officials they are unable to add postmarks to late-arriving ballots, even if it’s clear they were mailed before the deadline.
While some states allow for ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if they arrive within a specified window after the election, many states, including Kansas, require that ballots arrive by Election Day to be valid.
Looking Ahead
Election officials emphasized that as the first ballots of the 2024 general election are mailed out — with Alabama leading the way — the time for action is now. They called on DeJoy and the Postal Service to urgently address the ongoing issues and ensure that all ballots are delivered in a timely and reliable manner.
With the 2024 presidential election already marred by deep political divisions and widespread concerns about voter disenfranchisement, any further problems with the mail system could have significant consequences. As both parties push for their supporters to vote early by mail, the integrity and reliability of the U.S. Postal Service are likely to be a key factor in determining the outcome of the election.
“State and local election officials need a committed partner in USPS,” the letter concluded. “There is no time to waste.”
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