Election officers from throughout the countrywarned thousands and thousands of voters may see their ballots not counted in November’s election due to issues with the mail supply system.
The 2 foremost skilled organizations of election officers stated in a joint letter to U.S. Postmaster Common Louis DeJoy that he ought to instantly transfer to unravel issues with the mail system that precipitated points with ballots in main elections earlier this 12 months.
In an alarming letter, the officers stated that over the previous 12 months that they had seen a number of issues throughout varied main elections, together with receiving mailed ballots that had been postmarked on time however arriving. after the deadline to be counted.
And a few ballots that have been accurately addressed have been returned to voters as undeliverable.
cElection officers warned of mailed-in ballots not being correctly counted attributable to points with the Submit Workplace and the mail supply system
‘We implore you to take rapid and tangible corrective motion to deal with the continued efficiency points with USPS election mail service,’ the Nationwide Affiliation of State Election Administrators and the Nationwide Affiliation of Secretaries of State stated of their letter.
‘Failure to take action will threat limiting voter participation and belief within the election course of.’
Mail-in voting has develop into extra widespread and well-liked for the reason that COVID pandemic.
Their letter got here as a number of states are getting ready to open early voting for the final election in November.
‘Over the course of the final 12 months, election officers throughout the nation have raised critical questions on processing facility operations, misplaced or delayed election mail, and front-line coaching deficiencies impacting USPS’s capacity to ship election mail in a well timed and correct method,’ the letter says.
‘Regardless of repeated engagement with USPS Election and Political Mail headquarters employees and state/regional Managers of Buyer Relations, we have now not seen enchancment or concerted efforts to remediate our issues,’ the officers word.
The Submit Workplace didn’t touch upon the letter.
However two weeks in the past DeJoy instructed the Related Press in an interview the Postal Service was able to deal with a flood of mail ballots anticipated as a part of this November’s presidential election
Practically 70 million individuals voted by mail in 2020 and greater than 35 million did so in 2022.
Numbers are anticipated to be decrease this 12 months however the apply is predicted to be broadly used.
Officers expressed worries with the U.S. Submit Workplace mail supply system
Mail-in voting has begun in Alabama.
North Carolina was speculated to be the primary state to start mail-in voting nevertheless it was delayed after the state’s Supreme Courtroom sided with former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that his identify have to be faraway from the poll.
Donald Trump has expressed issues about mail-in voting prior to now however this 12 months he’s embracing the apply, urging his supporters to make use of the system.
Democrats have lengthy embraced mail-in voting.
