U.S. Postal Service Failed to Properly Handle Some Ballots During This Year’s Primary Elections, Audit Finds

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) was found to have mishandled some mail-in ballots during the 2020 primary elections, according to an audit released by the agency's Office of Inspector General on September 4. The audit, which examined mail handling at 14 processing facilities and 73 delivery units across eight states, revealed a lack of training for post office staff on the proper and rapid handling of mail ballots, tracking deficiencies, and errors resulting in delayed ballots.

These issues could lead to ballots having incorrect postmarks or arriving late to election officials, potentially resulting in their rejection.

While the audit noted that most facilities followed Postal Service policies, the presence of similar procedural gaps across multiple facilities suggests a need for improved employee understanding and enforcement of these policies. Election experts argue that the findings raise concerns about the Postal Service's ability to handle the increased demands of the November election, which are currently under consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The audit revealed that some facilities lacked election-related training materials, and in some cases, local management and employees were unfamiliar with requirements for processing election mail. In 10 of the 82 facilities audited, management was not aware of the proper way to postmark a ballot. The Postal Service acknowledged the existence of isolated incidents and committed to reinforcing internal processes, but claimed that overall ballot mail performance remained strong.