The U.S. Postal Service announced on Monday that nearly all completed mail ballots for this year’s presidential election were returned to election offices within a week, maintaining efficiency despite challenges such as hurricanes, misrouted election mail, and raised delivery concerns from state authorities.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy reported that postal employees processed over 99 million general election ballots, making additional deliveries and collections while actively working to resolve any issues that could lead to erroneous mail delivery. Despite the detrimental effects of hurricanes in regions like Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina just weeks before Election Day, postal workers ensured ballots were still delivered as planned.
According to postal officials, an impressive 99.9% of general election mail ballots reached election officials within a week, while 97.7% arrived within a mere three days. This three-day return rate closely mirrored that of the 2020 election but was slightly lower compared to the mid-term elections in 2022.
However, even with these strong overall numbers, certain issues were reported. Election offices in states, including California, Montana, Louisiana, and New Mexico highlighted instances where completed ballots were mistakenly sent to incorrect states. For example, the California Secretary of State’s office noted that approximately 150 ballots from Oregon voters found their way to California before being redirected. The Postal Service’s report did not address these misdirection concerns.
Leading up to the election, state election officials cautioned that complications within the country’s mail delivery system could disenfranchise voters, especially after similar issues arose during the primary elections. They noted that some ballots were postmarked correctly but arrived too late to be counted, while others were labeled as undeliverable despite being correctly addressed.
Criticism of the Postal Service emerged during discussions around potential operational changes, including the establishment of large mail processing centers. However, these changes were temporarily halted to prevent any disruptions during the election period. In response to the approaching Nov. 5 deadline for voting, the Postal Service stated that it implemented several “extraordinary measures” to ensure timely ballot processing.
Steve Simon, Minnesota Secretary of State and president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, along with New Mexico Election Director Mandy Vigil, president of the National Association of State Election Directors, expressed their eagerness to collaborate with Postal Service officials to bolster performance for future elections. However, Vigil raised concerns about ongoing issues, specifically regarding staff training and the operations of processing facilities.
“We look forward to working with USPS in the coming year to enhance the reliability of election mail for the elections in 2025 and 2026 when extraordinary measures are not in place,” she stated.
Mark Dimondstein, the president of the American Postal Workers Union, stated that postal workers maintained their delivery standards akin to those during the pandemic in 2020. He praised the USPS for establishing a high benchmark for ensuring ballots were delivered promptly and securely, effectively addressing any issues that arose during the process.
