As President Trump continues raising alarms over potential election irregularities similar to those in 2020, state and local election officials recently warned that unresolved issues with the national mail system could disenfranchise voters. These officials conveyed their concerns directly to the U.S. Postal Service, accusing Biden’s administration of failing to address ongoing deficiencies.
During the pivotal presidential debate on September 10, Trump persisted in his claims of widespread issues, potentially even fraud, during the 2020 election. Recent reports seem to lend weight to his allegations.
In a concerning letter, election officials noted that throughout the past year, including during the recent primary season, ballots postmarked on time often arrived at local election offices days after the counting deadline. They also reported cases of correctly addressed election mail being returned as undeliverable. This could lead to voters being mistakenly categorized as inactive, causing chaos when they attempt to vote in person.
Officials further stated that despite repeated efforts to engage with the Postal Service, the issues remain unresolved. They emphasized that the scope of the problem suggests it is not due to isolated incidents but rather a widespread misunderstanding and poor enforcement of USPS policies among employees.
The letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy came from two organizations representing election administrators across all 50 states. They criticized DeJoy’s leadership, saying they had not observed meaningful improvements or efforts to address their concerns.
“We urge you to take swift, concrete steps to resolve these persistent USPS election mail issues,” the letter read. “Failing to do so jeopardizes voter participation and the public’s confidence in the election process.”
DeJoy dismissed the claims, stating the Postal Service is adequately prepared to handle election mail, despite ongoing network modernization efforts causing some delivery disruptions. While USPS reported an average mail delivery time of 2.7 days, they still encouraged voters not to delay mailing their ballots.
The alarming letter was sent by the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors. In addition to the presidents of these organizations, leaders of local election official groups from 25 states also signed it.
Officials warned that returned election mail could trigger federal laws requiring voter rolls to be kept up-to-date, potentially resulting in voters being moved to inactive status. These voters would need to take extra steps to verify their information to participate in the election.
Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, the outgoing president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, also wrote to DeJoy. Schwab revealed that almost 1,000 ballots from Kansas’ August 6 primary arrived too late or without postmarks, and more ballots continue to trickle in.
The letter also highlighted reports from election officials nationwide, stating that Postal Service employees, from managers to mail carriers, are frequently unaware of USPS policies on election mail, often providing inconsistent information and misdelivering ballots.
In closing, the officials emphasized that no amount of communication by election authorities could compensate for USPS’s failure to meet its own delivery standards. “State and local election officials need USPS to be a reliable partner,” they concluded.
