Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
This week, state officials will send out the first mail ballots of the 2024 election in an unofficial kickoff to Election Day. But a group of close to three dozen election officials are warning the United States Postal Service that irregularities within the agency could pose a risk to mail-in voting.
On Wednesday, the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to express their “ongoing concerns” about the USPS’s performance ahead of November 5. Among the issues raised are an increase in mail deemed “undeliverable” and long delivery times. The officials claim that some USPS staffers lack knowledge of election mail rules, that ballots sent to election offices have been returned to voters, and that postmarked ballots in multiple states have been received ten or more days after the noted date.
The officials write that, though they have raised the issues to USPS staff on both the state and local levels, they “have not seen improvement or concerted efforts” to tackle the problems. “We implore you to take immediate and tangible corrective action to address the ongoing performance issues with USPS election mail service. Failure to do so will risk limiting voter participation and trust in the election process,” they said.
The letter is reviving old concerns about the dependability of the postal service, worries that first emerged during the 2020 election cycle when the agency was hit by both internal strife and the COVID-19 pandemic. DeJoy, who was appointed by Donald Trump, sought to overhaul the agency in the wake of financial difficulties, resulting in increased prices and changes to mail delivery. Just last month, USPS has proposed new changes to its delivery logistics that are aimed at saving the financially strapped agency $3 billion a year annually. Per the Washington Post, a key adjustment would be allowing for longer processing times for those located farther away from USPS regional hubs, which would likely result in slower mail delivery for those who live outside of cities. Issues with mail service have plagued the agency as of late, with consumers complaining about higher shipping costs as well as consistent delays in mail and package deliveries throughout the country. NBC News notes that many of the highly affected regions, such as Atlanta, Richmond, and Houston, were part of the initial rollout of the postal service’s new hub-distribution system.
Though voting habits have changed since the height of the pandemic, mail-in voting is still likely to play a significant role in this year’s election. According to a report from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, nearly 32 percent of all voters used mail ballots in the 2022 election, a drop from the 2020 election peak but higher than pre-pandemic levels. Several states vote largely or entirely by mail, including Colorado, Hawaii, and Washington.
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