State and local elections officials from nearly half of the states have raised concerns with the U.S. Postal Service’s ability to deliver election mail on time and accurately. In a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, the officials urged the service to address deficiencies ahead of the presidential election. They emphasized the importance of having a committed partner in USPS to ensure voter participation and trust in the election process. Despite efforts to encourage voters to request and return mail-in ballots early, many ballots are still being received after the deadline in many states, causing potential disenfranchisement.
The officials highlighted several issues with the delivery of election mail, including ballots being marked as undeliverable at above-normal rates and ballots being returned to voters as undeliverable. This could lead to voters being deemed inactive and requiring additional steps to verify their address to vote. The increase in undeliverable mail may also result in voter registration records being canceled, further disenfranchising voters. The USPS staff’s lack of understanding of the service’s policies has led to inconsistent guidance being given to election officials, resulting in ballots being deliberately held, delayed, or improperly processed.
The letter emphasized that the ongoing issues with election mail delivery are not isolated incidents but rather a systemic problem within the USPS. The National Association of State Election Directors, the National Association of Secretaries of State, and presidents of local election associations sent the letter on behalf of administrators nationwide. Postmaster General DeJoy, appointed during the Trump administration, came under scrutiny ahead of the 2020 election over mail-delivery delays. The Census Bureau reported that 69% of voters cast their ballots by mail or before Election Day in 2020, the highest rate since 1996.
Voting in 2020 took place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting both Republicans and Democrats to encourage supporters to cast their ballots early. Even former President Donald Trump, who has raised concerns about mail-in ballots leading to election fraud, acknowledged that absentee and early voting are good options. The letter from state and local election officials underscores the importance of addressing the ongoing performance issues with USPS election mail service to ensure that all voters have equal access to the voting process. Failure to do so could risk limiting voter participation and trust in the election process.
