**Concerns Arise Over Misdelivered Ballots in Several States**

In Cascade County, Montana, election officials are raising eyebrows over ballots arriving at their office that should have been sent elsewhere, including locations as far away as Wasilla, Alaska, and Tampa, Florida. Terry Thompson, the county’s election administrator, noted a small number of these misplaced ballots, but emphasized that it raised concerns about the reliability of the U.S. Postal Service when it comes to handling election mail. Thompson expressed her frustration, stating, “I would have had to have been doing FedEx overnight envelopes to all these states to try to get them where they needed to go.”

Moreover, Thompson’s office also received ballots intended for other counties within Montana. As she explained, the situation left her with little choice but to “hope and pray” that those ballots would return in time for counting. The irregularities in ballot delivery were not isolated to her office alone, as election administrators in states like California, Louisiana, and New Mexico are reporting similar incidents involving ballots mistakenly delivered to the wrong locations.

Many election officials are reiterating previous warnings about the U.S. Postal Service’s ability to manage the expected influx of mail ballots. State election representatives had addressed these concerns to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in September, highlighting issues from the primaries where ballots were postmarked correctly but arrived too late or were returned as undeliverable.

In Louisiana, election officials revealed that between 40 to 50 ballots intended for various states ended up delivered to local election offices, mainly in Orleans Parish. Joel Watson Jr., the Deputy Secretary of State, expressed his office’s immense frustration with the Postal Service, criticizing its inconsistency and lack of accountability in handling election mail. Watson mentioned that staff members had to drive ballots to ensure they were counted before Election Day, which diverted resources during a critical time for the election.

In contrast, the Postal Service has stated its commitment to timely delivery of election mail. Rod Spurgeon, a spokesperson for the USPS, confirmed that the agency is collaborating with local election officials to address these concerns while maintaining that it adheres to its responsibilities in electoral processes.

A similar pattern was observed in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, where County Clerk Katharine Clark reported that ballots meant for her office were mistakenly sent to Los Angeles County, which led to them arriving too late to be counted. “It does mean that person got denied the right to vote,” Clark noted, illustrating the tangible consequences of these postal mishaps.

Los Angeles County officials also reported misrouted ballots, including two meant for Torrance County in New Mexico. On the other hand, clerks in various states admitted that this type of error isn’t completely unusual, with some advocating that perfection may not always be achievable in the electoral process.

Meanwhile, the California Secretary of State’s office confirmed that approximately 150 ballots sent from Oregon had diverted to California before being returned. Similar confusion was noted in Illinois, where a ballot intended for Massachusetts ended up at an election office in Springfield.

Amy Cohen, executive director of the National Association of State Election Directors, expressed her disappointment over the misdelivered ballots, explaining that while such occurrences can be attributed to multiple factors, they highlight the ongoing concerns officials had identified throughout 2023. Cohen urged for thorough examination and remedial actions to prevent future misdirection of ballots.

Frustration with the Postal Service’s handling of ballots is not confined to a single state, as evidenced by Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who, after a difficult primary season, stated that USPS efficiency issues prompted him to encourage voters against relying on mail ballots without alternative options. While Kansas experienced no reported ballot misdelivers to or from other states, Schwab’s remarks reflect a wider discontent with the system as it stands.