Election officials are raising red flags over potential mail-in ballot issues in the upcoming 2024 presidential race, citing serious concerns about the U.S. Postal Service’s ability to handle the election-related mail.

 

A group of 33 secretaries of state and state election directors expressed worries about “processing facility operations, lost or delayed election mail, and front-line training deficiencies” within the USPS. Despite continuous discussions with the agency’s headquarters, they claim that no improvements have been made. This warning was shared in a letter sent to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Thursday.

 

The officials emphasized the critical role of USPS in states where voting by mail is the primary method, including Nevada, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington state, and the District of Columbia. If there is a “higher than usual” number of ballots marked as “undeliverable” or mishandled, eligible voters could face disqualification.

 

 

“In some cases, this has resulted in misdelivery of ballots such that voters are disenfranchised,” the group, led by Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and New Mexico state elections director Mandy Vigil, explained in their letter. They urged the Postal Service to take “immediate and tangible corrective action” to address these ongoing issues. Failure to do so, they warned, could severely undermine voter participation and public confidence in the election process.

 

The challenges surrounding USPS’s handling of mail-in ballots first gained national attention during the 2020 presidential election. With the pandemic driving an increase in mail-in voting, delays in postal services raised alarms. Some election officials fear a repeat of these problems in 2024.

 

However, Postal Service election mail chief Adrienne Marshall rejected the concerns, assuring that USPS is prepared for the challenge. “We are ready to deliver. We were successful in 2020 delivering a historic volume of mail-in ballots; also in 2022 and will do so again in November 2024,” she said in a statement, promising detailed information on how the agency plans to handle election mail promptly.

 

Postmaster General DeJoy has also taken steps to prevent delays by postponing changes to USPS operations until after the election. This includes delaying the shift of northern Nevada mail processing from Reno to a facility in Sacramento, California.

 

The letter from election officials arrived on the same day the National Association of Letter Carriers, a 290,000-member union, announced its endorsement of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz. Union president Brian L. Renfroe praised Harris and Walz for their commitment to addressing the unique challenges faced by the Postal Service and its workers.

 

Renfroe also assured the public that postal workers are committed to handling election mail with professionalism and care. “All Americans can rest assured that our nation’s letter carriers can — and will — carry out their duties this election with the same integrity, responsibility, and devotion to mission they exhibit as they deliver for the American people during election season and every other day,” he said. He added that doubting their dedication is “to demean America’s postal employees — many of whom, it’s worth noting, are wearing their second uniform in service to this nation.”

 

As the nation approaches a critical election, the concerns raised by election officials and the assurances offered by USPS leadership set the stage for a tense countdown to November.