USPS Voting Rules Challenged
USPS Mail-Voting Rules Face Federal Investigation and Legal Challenge Before Midterms
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Key Points
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The whistleblower alleges that the proposed portal would reject an entire batch of ballots if even one barcode failed to scan, rather than isolating the defective ballot—a design that could potentially disenfranchise large numbers of voters.
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The whistleblower also claims USPS continued developing the Federal Mail Ballot Portal despite a federal judge’s June 2026 temporary restraining order barring implementation of the administration’s directive.
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Merced County Registrar of Voters Melvin Levey said USPS changes to its postmarking process had already contributed to an increase in rejected ballots during the previous two elections: “All of that is still caught in litigation, while we have already printed our return envelopes and our ballots were printed earlier.”
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California counties are promoting ballot drop boxes because they place ballots directly in election officials’ hands and bypass USPS during the return process; nearly 90% of California voters used mail ballots in the June primary, underscoring the potential scale of the disruption.
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The proposed order would allow USPS to refuse delivery of ballots that lack the required unique barcodes or come from voters who do not appear on state-provided recipient lists.
The U.S. Postal Service faces a federal investigation into allegations that it is rushing an untested system to carry out President Donald Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting. USPS A whistleblower warns that the system could reject large batches of ballots due to barcode scanning failures, potentially disenfranchising millions of voters before the November 2026 midterm elections. PBS Federal courts have already blocked the order twice, but the administration has appealed and asked the Supreme Court to intervene.
The dispute centers on a proposal requiring states to provide voter lists and new barcode requirements on ballot envelopes. News4Jax In California, where nearly 90% of voters used mail ballots in the June primary, election officials are urging voters to use drop boxes instead of trusting the mail. PBS The legal battle may not be resolved before the 2026 election, leaving both voters and election officials in limbo.
A System Designed to Reject Entire Batches
The whistleblower's central claim is damaging: the Federal Mail Ballot Portal would reject an entire batch of ballots if even one barcode fails to scan. USPS This design flaw means a single scanning error could disenfranchise hundreds or thousands of voters at once, rather than isolating just the defective ballot. News4Jax Election-law experts say this approach raises serious constitutional concerns about voters' right to cast ballots.
The USPS inspector general announced it will independently review the allegations. USPS Meanwhile, the agency and Trump administration dispute the whistleblower's claims, saying the system has been thoroughly tested. News4Jax However, the whistleblower alleges that USPS continued developing the portal even after a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order in June 2026 barring implementation.
Postal Service Changes Already Causing Rejections
This is not the first time USPS operational changes have harmed mail voters. PBS The number of ballots rejected for late postmarks surged in Washington and Oregon after the Postal Service consolidated its operations and changed how it handles mail timing. PBS Merced County Registrar of Voters Melvin Levey said the rejections are still rising in California: "All of that is still caught in litigation, while we have already printed our return envelopes." News4Jax
Election officials in Oregon have already urged voters to use ballot drop boxes instead of mailboxes for the November midterms. HeraldandNews Drop boxes place ballots directly in election officials' hands and bypass USPS entirely. News4Jax This workaround protects voters from postal delays, but it assumes drop boxes are available and accessible in every community—a costly burden on local elections departments.
Courts Block the Order, but Trump Fights Back
Federal judges have twice blocked enforcement of the mail-voting restrictions. News4Jax The order would require states to provide voter recipient lists to USPS and allow the Postal Service to refuse delivery of ballots lacking required unique barcodes or from voters not on those lists. News4Jax But the Trump administration has appealed both rulings and renewed its request for emergency Supreme Court intervention, arguing the changes are legal and necessary.
Election-law experts say the president's authority to unilaterally alter mail-voting procedures is limited under the Constitution. News4Jax The legal dispute may remain unresolved until after Election Day 2026, leaving states, counties, and voters without clarity. News4Jax Some voters in North Carolina are already noticing stricter absentee-voting rules for the upcoming midterms. Yahoo
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