USPS Faces Challenges with New Mail-In Voting System
In a significant move to reshape mail-in voting procedures, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has developed a new system aimed at implementing President Trump’s directive to limit mail-in voting. This new framework includes an online portal for states to submit voter information prior to dispatching absentee ballots. However, concerns are mounting about the system’s reliability and its potential impact on timely ballot delivery.
An anonymous federal official has expressed worries about the hasty construction of the system. This official warns that the rushed setup might result in ballots failing to reach voters in time. In light of these concerns, a federal judge has issued a temporary injunction preventing the USPS from mandating states to use this portal for the upcoming midterm elections.
The USPS is currently appealing this decision. David Kligerman, a lawyer with Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit offering legal aid to whistleblowers, highlighted that the new USPS system introduces several intermediary steps between states and voters. Under the system, states are required to submit voter data for batches of ballots, which the USPS then samples and verifies.
“You’ve got a 0% failure rate, which, by the way, is unprecedented. No other part of the mail system has this,” Kligerman commented during an interview with Morning Edition.
The system’s design suggests that even a minor error, such as a smudged barcode or a faulty scanner reading, could require the entire batch to be returned to the state, potentially delaying the voting process.
Concerns Over System Development and Testing
According to the whistleblower, the IT system supporting this initiative was developed in mere weeks. The whistleblower further alleges that the system has not undergone adequate testing and has already experienced crashes during trials. This rushed development raises fears that the technology could mistakenly identify errors even when ballots are correct, leading to unnecessary delays.
In a statement, USPS noted that it is “carefully reviewing” these allegations.
The administration argues that the new requirements are essential for verifying recipients of absentee ballots. However, lawsuits opposing the plan claim that the USPS oversteps its authority in performing such verification. Kligerman questioned the practicality of the system, stating, “This is a solution that does not meet the problem. If you want to verify to whom it’s sent to, there’s a very different way to do it than this.”
For more details, listen to the full interview by clicking the blue button above. Hansi Lo Wang contributed reporting.
Editor’s note: USPS is a financial supporter of NPR.
