Audit: More Than 1M Primary Ballots Mailed Too Late

With several states preparing to use mail-in voting for the November election, a new audit found that election offices mailed more than 1 million primary ballots too late.

The Post Office's inspector general examined vote-by-mail practices during the primary season and found myriad problems, most notably the fact that many ballots were mailed out late — which can cause delays in reporting election results.

A report on the findings indicated that ballots, known as election mail within the Post Office, should be sent out at least 15 days before an election to make sure it arrives on time. That did not always happen this year, however.

"According to Postal Service management, during the primary election season, election boards mailed over 1 million ballots to voters within 7 days of an election," the report reads. "This put these ballots at high risk by not allowing sufficient time for delivery to voters and their subsequent delivery back to the election boards."

Democrats are pushing for voting by mail to be an option in the upcoming election because of the coronavirus pandemic. President Donald Trump has balked at the idea, saying it could lead to voter fraud.

Still, multiple states are moving forward with plans to mail ballots to registered voters for them to cast their vote that way, rather than in person.

Another issue the inspector general's report flagged was election mail that did not have a barcode. Without that, the Post Office cannot track a piece of mail as it makes its way through the system.

"According to Postal Service management, some election boards have chosen to continue using excess stock of ballot envelopes without barcodes and some lack the funding for integrating the use of barcodes in their mailing process," the report reads.

"Based on data analyzed from the 2018 general election season, about 31.1 million ballots were cast by mail, but only 4.1 million (13 percent) Election Mail mailpieces used mail tracking technology."

The audit also found inconsistencies with the ballot mail design, including printing addresses on both sides of the envelope — which can cause the ballot to be returned to the sender.

• Cybersecurity Experts Vouch for Integrity of Mail-In Ballots
• Poll: 33 Percent of Voters in Battleground States to Vote-by-Mail