A group of state and local election officials expressed concerns Wednesday about the United States Postal Service's (USPS) ability to efficiently handle the delivery of millions of ballots for the 2024 presidential election.
The National Board of State Elections and other officials letter The letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy raised concerns about the Postal Service's operations, including processing delays, lost or delayed election mail, and inadequate training that could affect the timely and accurate delivery of election mail. Officials said in the letter that over the past year and during recent primary elections, mail-in ballots postmarked by the required date arrived at local election offices days after the deadline to be counted.
According to the letter, officials also noted that election mail was being returned as undeliverable even though it was correctly addressed. Despite ongoing discussions with USPS election officials, officials have not reported any notable improvements or proactive steps to address concerns.
BREAKING – U.S. election officials are warning that widespread USPS “performance issues” could disrupt mail-in voting in nearly every state.https://t.co/rCLU4MyNrg
— Disclosure TV (@disclosetv) September 11, 2024
“We have not observed any concerted effort to make improvements or remedy the concerns,” the letter said. “Indeed, many of the issues raised by election officials are also reflected in the findings of a recent investigation by the USPS Office of Inspector General.”
In response, the USPS maintains that it is committed to “the timely and safe delivery of the nation's election mail,” Reuters reported. ReportedThe department said it has made improvements and mail is now delivered within an average of 2.7 days, and advised voters to send their ballots at least a week before the election deadline to ensure they are delivered on time. (Related story: Counties in key battleground states abandon plans to count ballots by hand in 2024 election)
Additionally, the USPS implemented “extraordinary measures” to speed up ballot delivery, including additional pickup and special sorting plans, two weeks before Election Day, Reuters reported. The USPS noted that it was successful in delivering 99.89% of ballots received from voters in the 2020 general election to election officials within seven days.
According to Reuters, the USPS inspector general's July report also cited certain operational risks that could affect vote counting and recommended strengthening preparations for processing and delivering ballots.
The USPS did not immediately respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation's request for comment.
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