Widespread problems with the US mail system could disrupt voting, election officials warn
Trump says he won't debate Kamala Harris again
Former President Donald Trump said that he will not debate Vice President Kamala Harris again before the November presidential election. Trump made the announcement on his social media platform Truth Social. In the post, he said Harris only wants a "rematch" because she lost.
LOS ANGELES - State and local election officials have raised alarms about persistent problems with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) that could lead to voter disenfranchisement in the 2024 presidential election.
In a letter addressed to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, election administrators from across the U.S. highlighted problems with delayed delivery of mail-in ballots and the return of properly addressed election mail as undeliverable.
The letter pointed out that these issues are not isolated but reflect a "pervasive lack of understanding" of USPS policies among its employees.
It added that, despite repeated outreach to USPS, there had been little progress in resolving the issues, especially in states that rely heavily on mail-in ballots.
According to the election officials, late-arriving ballots postmarked on time often missed the deadline to be counted, and returned mail could incorrectly mark voters as inactive. This creates complications when such voters show up at polling stations to cast their ballots.
Ballots are received, sorted and verified at the LA County ballot processing facility. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
"We implore you to take immediate and tangible corrective action to address the ongoing performance issues with USPS election mail service," they added. "Failure to do so will risk limiting voter participation and trust in the election process."
Concerns about late ballots and undeliverable mail
The timing of the letter is critical, as the first absentee ballots for the 2024 election are already being mailed. Officials are concerned that if USPS does not improve, the issues encountered during the 2022 primary season will escalate during the general election.
Although USPS claims to have delivered almost 99% of mail-in ballots on time in the 2022 election, election officials insist that even small delays could undermine voter confidence.
In response, USPS reiterated that its modernization efforts are ongoing and that it’s well-prepared to handle election mail, but election officials from rural states have expressed frustration. They argue that the consolidation of mail-processing centers has made timely deliveries difficult in many regions, leading to complications like ballots arriving without postmarks.