USPS whistleblower warns new mail-in ballot rule could cause 'catastrophic failure' in midterms

Topline

A whistleblower at the U.S. Postal Service has reported "grave concerns" with the agency's new system for handling mail-in ballots, warning lawmakers that the "risky and haphazard" implementation of the rule could prevent millions of voters from receiving a mail-in ballot in the November midterms. The system has also come under fire in court.

Key Facts

• An anonymous whistleblower submitted a report to Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) regarding the implementation of USPS's new rule on mail-in voting. The rule requires election officials to submit voter information to a federal database as a condition for the Postal Service to deliver mail-in ballots.
• The whistleblower alleged that USPS's rollout of the new rule has been a "secretive, rushed, chaotic, and fundamentally flawed process." The agency implemented a new IT system that was "rapidly built and minimally tested," which could result in a "catastrophic failure which could derail the midterm elections."
• The new system could lead to voters not receiving ballots, the whistleblower alleged. New verification processes require mail-in ballots to have special barcodes to confirm they have been approved in the federal system, and the "opportunity for error … is high."
• According to the whistleblower, the system is designed so that if even one barcode in a batch of 10,000 does not scan properly, the entire batch of ballots would be rejected and sent back to election officials, "effectively stopping the ballots from being mailed to voters."
• Although the new USPS rule is currently blocked in court, the whistleblower alleged that workers were directed to continue developing the new system even while court orders were in place barring the agency from moving forward with implementation. The whistleblower claimed this "ongoing work" was "inconsistent" with the agency's statements that it was not implementing the new rule for the midterm elections while the court orders remained in effect.
• The Postal Service has not yet commented on the whistleblower report.

Crucial Quote

"The apparently sloppy and rushed manner in which the Federal Ballot Mail Portal and supporting IT systems are being built poses significant risk," attorneys from Whistleblower Aid wrote in a report to Blumenthal on the whistleblower's behalf. "Potentially millions of American voters may not receive their mail-in ballot this election cycle in a timely manner, or at all."

This story is breaking and will be updated.