USPS insider warns Trump’s mail-in ballot push could put millions of votes at risk
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the intensifying battle over the US Postal Service's latest rulebook for mail-in ballots, an agency insider has sounded the alarm about the new terms, raising “grave concerns” that the rules could ultimately disenfranchise millions of voters.
A newly finalized US Postal Service (USPS) rule blocks the delivery of mail-in ballots unless states upload voter data to a new federal tracking portal. Notably, the new Federal Ballot Mail Portal is scheduled to launch on September 1, 2026.
USPS officials call latest mail-in ballot rules a 'sh** show'
US Postal Service (USPS) officials reportedly branded the agency’s hurried development of a new Trump-ordered mail ballot system a “sh*t show.”
The allegation that the new rules would disenfranchise was published in a report published Tuesday, September 1, by the office of Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
The report cited unnamed USPS officials about preparations for a new system governing how the agency handles mail-in ballots.
According to the report, the requirements for the technology for the portal were never properly documented, and plans were “constantly changing” as staff raced toward a planned September 1 rollout.
Multiple officials used “sh*t show” to characterize the process during its final testing period, the report alleges.
USPS leadership allegedly “insisted that it was easy to understand what was needed and also that there was no time to write down the requirements.”
“Potentially millions of American voters may not receive their mail-in ballot this election cycle in a timely manner, or at all,” the official said.
Blumenthal claims new portal is designed to disenfranchise millions
Blumenthal was similarly stark, telling reporters on Tuesday: “The main takeaway for me is that the Postal Service has designed a system to disenfranchise millions of Americans. One-third of all Americans cast their ballots by mail, and the USPS puts all of their votes at risk.”
In the centre of the debate is the Federal Ballot Mail Portal, developed to verify mail-in ballots against a federal database after President Donald Trump’s March executive order targeting ballot votes.
In the report, it has been alleged that “even one bar code on one single ballot” failing to scan correctly could stop a batch containing tens of thousands of ballots from moving forward until officials identify and correct the problem.
“As designed, the process is entirely unforgiving. It could delay ballots by the thousands in repeated verification cycles – and thus prevent states from mailing enormous numbers of ballots,” the report says.
US District Judge Indira Talwani temporarily halted the USPS requirements last week after observing that the agency likely lacked authority to impose them.
