Whistleblower warns of issues with mail ballot system
Postal Service work to comply with Trump’s order could lead to rejected ballots
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The U.S. Postal Service is poised to launch a hastily built, error-riddled computer system that could jeopardize the process of mail voting relied upon by one-third of all voters, according to a whistleblower statement released Tuesday by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
The effort is part of the implementation of President Donald Trump's executive order limiting mail voting and has been temporarily halted by a federal judge. The ruling is being appealed by the administration and the directive may ultimately end up back before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The disclosure from the unidentified whistleblower contends that the Postal Service has been scrambling to try to build a complex system that would normally take a year or more in only three months, sometimes in defiance of the judge's orders halting work. The goal is to have it ready for use in the midterm elections.
The disclosure contends that, due to the new procedures, a single scanning error in a batch of tens of thousands of ballot envelopes could prevent any from reaching voters. It details a system that election officials have already warned could not be implemented before the first mail ballots begin going out Friday in North Carolina.
"The Postal Service has designed a system to disenfranchise millions of Americans," Blumenthal told reporters in advance of releasing the whistleblower information. "This administration seems hell-bent on changing the framework on casting ballots in this country clearly for political reasons."
Executive order subject to furious court action
Trump's executive order, signed in March, directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the commissioner of the Social Security Administration to develop state citizenship lists and then required the Postal Service to send mail ballots only to voters who are on such a list.
Ballot envelopes would have to comply with new Postal Service rules and include barcodes.
The online portal that is the subject of the whistleblower complaint is intended for states to deliver their lists of verified voters to the Postal Service.
The Postal Service released a statement Tuesday evening in response to Blumenthal's letter, pledging to work with Congress and the courts. It noted that the judge who issued the latest restraining order explicitly allowed the service to continue to develop its online tool for states that want to use it voluntarily.
"Regardless of political party or perspective, we share a common goal: ensuring that Americans can have confidence that their election mail will be handled securely and delivered reliably," the Postal Service said.
The White House said the software buildout process is "neither complex nor unique" for the Postal Service because it already uses bulk mailing and intelligent mail barcodes for large customers. "Under President Trump, the federal government is working to ensure safe, transparent, and honest elections," spokeswoman Lauren Bis said.
Jonathan Smith, president of the United Postal Workers Union, which has long opposed the executive order, said in a statement Tuesday: "The
whistleblower report reveals what this executive order was always about -- denying Americans their hard-fought right to vote. It is creating chaos in a system that is proven to be a safe, secure way for millions of Americans to vote."
Until Trump came out against mail voting in 2020, the system was used equally by both parties. Since then, it has become more common among Democratic voters.