Problems with USPS might disrupt mail-in voting, elections officials say. Could it affect NC?
Elections officials from across the United States, including North Carolina, are concerned about the ability of the U.S. Postal Service to handle mail-in votes this year.
In a Sept. 11 letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, the National Association of Secretaries of State and National Association of State Election Directors outlined widespread issues with the mail system that could affect the election. The letter was signed by state election officials in many states, including Sara LaVere, the president of the North Carolina Association of Directors of Elections.
DeJoy said in response that the Postal Service is equipped to handle the election mail, that it will collect and deliver mail ballots more often in the days ahead of the Nov. 5 election and that it will keep processing centers open Sunday, Nov. 3, according to the Associated Press.
What are elections officials’ concerns with the mail system?
The Sept. 11 letter describes a few issues that state and local elections officials believe could affect the upcoming general election.
- Inconsistent training for Postal Service workers: Staff are uninformed about the service’s policies regarding election mail, which has led to ballots being delayed, held deliberately or processed improperly.
- Long delivery times: In the past, local officials have received timely postmarked ballots after Election Day and outside the Postal Service’s First Class delivery window.
- Increase in mail returned as undeliverable: Mail sent to voters or ballots sent to election offices are returned to sender, marked as undeliverable, even when mail is addressed properly or voters haven’t moved. Voters may be disenfranchised or be put on the path to having their registration record canceled.
According to a report from the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General released July 2024, an audit found “processes and policies that could pose a risk of delays in the processing and delivery of Election and Political Mail,” along with issues that “pose a risk of individual ballots not being counted.”
The report observed 15 mail processing facilities and 35 delivery units in 13 states and Puerto Rico, including one mail processing center and two two delivery units in North Carolina.
Will issues with the mail system affect NC voting?
The Postal Service is able to work with county boards of elections across the state, said Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
“Delivery and receipt of mail seems to be happening with all county boards of elections at this point,” she said during a meeting with the press on Monday, Oct. 7.
The state board has a “good working relationship” with the Postal Service and meets with the service regularly to discuss issues regarding the sending and receiving of absentee ballots, Patrick Gannon, the public information director for the North Carolina State Board of Elections, told The News & Observer in an email.
There is a distinction, however, between the Postal Service’s accessibility to county boards of elections and the service’s accessibility to communities, said Paul Cox, general counsel for the state board. Especially after Helene, some communities may be difficult for the Postal Service to reach.
The state board will not change deadlines for receiving mail-in ballots.
“The messaging is already out there that these are the deadlines, and because of some of the communication channel issues, difficulty in cell service and internet connectivity, it is very hard to communicate a different deadline to voters,” Brinson Bell said Oct. 7.
All absentee ballots must be received by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, which is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
What can voters do to mitigate USPS issues?
Voters are encouraged to return ballots to their county board of elections as quickly as possible, Danner McCulloh, the public records coordinator for Wake County Board of Elections, told The N&O.
Ballots may be returned by mail or in person.
▪ If returning in person, ballots may be dropped off at the voter’s county board of elections office or to an early voting site between Thursday, Oct. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 2. Absentee ballots may be returned to a voter’s county board of elections office on Election Day, but voters may not return the ballot to a polling place on Election Day.
Voters should mail their completed ballot at least one week before their state’s deadline, DeJoy wrote in the letter responding to elections officials.
How many people vote by mail in North Carolina?
During the 2022 general election, 187,746 people voted by mail, according to the State Board of Elections.
In the 2020 general election, 18% of ballots cast in North Carolina were absentee by mail votes.
This story was originally published October 8, 2024 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Problems with USPS might disrupt mail-in voting, elections officials say. Could it affect NC?."
