US Postal Service delays threaten to disrupt election voting, officials say
State and local election officials express concerns about USPS delays potentially disenfranchising voters in the presidential election, urging Congress to pass the Election Mail Act for improved mail delivery.
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State and local election officials have raised concerns about delays in the US Postal Service (USPS) that could disenfranchise voters in the upcoming presidential election. In a letter to USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, officials reported that ballots mailed on time were often received days after the deadline for counting, with some election mail being returned as undeliverable. Despite previous outreach to USPS, officials noted a lack of improvement in mail delivery issues, which have been corroborated by a recent USPS Office of Inspector General audit. The National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors emphasized that timely mail delivery is crucial for voter participation. They warned that undeliverable mail could lead to voters being marked as inactive, complicating their ability to vote. Additionally, election officials from Kansas reported that nearly 1,000 ballots from a recent primary were not counted due to late arrival or missing postmarks. The USPS has claimed improvements in mail handling since the 2020 election, but officials remain skeptical, particularly in rural areas where mail processing has been consolidated. Advocacy groups are urging Congress to pass the Election Mail Act to enhance mail delivery and tracking for election-related mail.
- USPS delays may disenfranchise voters in the upcoming presidential election.
- Election officials report ballots often arrive late or are undeliverable.
- Concerns raised about USPS's handling of election mail and lack of communication.
- Advocacy groups are pushing for legislation to improve election mail delivery.
- Timely mail delivery is critical for maintaining voter participation and trust.
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7 commentsWe claim voting is so important yet we can’t seem to be able to fix aspects of it that other, more resource constrained countries managed.
I suspect the primary issue is that there are simply way less people willing to work as letter carriers. The pay has not scaled and you're working long hours, Monday through Saturday. Not exactly a dream job.
Beyond the obviously concerning impact in the US domestically, I’m mail voting in my own country’s elections, and this year will probably mark the second election I’ll miss because of the USPS’s current state.
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