USPS whistleblower warns new ballot system could fail

A U.S. Postal Service whistleblower has accused the agency of disregarding court orders while hastily developing a new ballot system that risks rejecting thousands of mail ballots. The whistleblower claims the Postal Service constructed the system in a matter of weeks, far shorter than the usual nine months to a year needed for a project of this complexity.

The system was initiated due to an executive order signed by President Trump, mandating the federal government to create lists of confirmed U.S. citizens eligible to vote and for the postmaster general to propose a rule prohibiting USPS from transmitting ballots from individuals not on the state list. The rule was published in the Federal Register recently.

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) forwarded the whistleblower's report to Postmaster General David Steiner on Monday, requesting an explanation of the Postal Service's procedures and whether they complied with court orders to halt work on the new system. Blumenthal described the Trump administration's changes as "a deeply troubling departure from the role the USPS traditionally plays in U.S. elections."

According to the whistleblower, the USPS would cross-reference ballot barcodes with data uploaded by state election officials under the new system. A single faulty barcode could potentially cause an entire batch of ballots to be rejected. Blumenthal urged the Postal Service to abandon the "ill-conceived, unconscionable plan" and ensure all Americans can cast their votes by mail without interference.

He demanded answers from the Postal Service by Friday and records by next Tuesday. As of now, the Postal Service and the White House have not responded to the requests for comment.