Election officials from around the country issued a stark warning on Wednesday, stating that ongoing issues with the U.S. mail system could prevent voters from casting their ballots in the upcoming presidential election. In a letter addressed to the U.S. Postal Service chief, the officials emphasized that longstanding deficiencies remain unresolved.
They highlighted that during the past year, including the recent primary elections, ballots mailed on time arrived days after the deadline, causing them to be disqualified. Additionally, election mail with correct addresses was mistakenly returned as undeliverable, potentially pushing voters into inactive status and causing confusion when they try to vote.
The officials further pointed out that repeated attempts to work with the Postal Service had been unsuccessful. The widespread nature of the problems, they argued, reflects a systemic failure in USPS operations, rather than isolated errors or issues with specific facilities.
The letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy came from two groups that represent top election administrators in all 50 states. They told DeJoy, “We have not seen improvement or concerted efforts to remediate our concerns.”
“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."