USPS audit raises concerns over readiness for mail-in ballots

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In an audit of the United States Postal Service, investigators laid out several major concerns about mail-in ballots and other political mail ahead of the November election.

The audit took place during primary and special elections over the summer, where they reviewed the processes implemented at several facilities across the country. According to the USPS Office of the Inspector General, they found unprocessed ballots at some facilities, along with mail-in ballots and other political mail not delivered on time.

Several of the problems laid out in the audit pointed to issues outside of the control of USPS, including:

• Ballots mailed without barcode mail tracking technology
• Ballot mailpiece designs that result in improper processing
• Mailed too close to the election, resulting in insufficient time for the Postal Service to process and deliver the mailpieces
• Postmark requirements for ballots
• Out-of-date voter addresses

Tracking ballots

Travis County offers a website for voters, where they can track the progress and status of their mail-in ballot. Check that out here.

Ballots in certain states and counties also feature a barcode or tracking number on the envelope.

The auditors said, “without the use of barcodes, it is extremely challenging and in many cases not possible to determine whether or not a ballot was sent through the Postal Service, returned by a voter and/or if there was a delay in the Postal Service’s processes.”

It’s not a required feature, but according to the audit document, the Postal Service recommends them to election offices. Based on data analyzed from the 2018 general election, less than 13% of the 31.1 million vote-by-mail ballots utilized barcodes.

Grace Chimene, President of the League of Women Voters of Texas, said the barcode usually helps the Postal Service more easily sort and accurately deliver mail, unless it’s in the wrong spot on the envelope.

“Unfortunately, it does have to be in the right place for those machines to read it,” she said.

Designs that result in improper processing

Aside from a barcode, states can utilize different several different security features on mail-in ballots to identify the voter, including voter and witness signatures, addresses, notary seals, a driver’s license or social security number.

“However, if these features are not properly located on the envelope, mail processing machines may mis-sort the mailpiece and return the ballot to the voter,” the audit stated.

Chimene said some voters around Texas reported their ballots being returned to them during the last election for this reason.

She explained for Dallas County voters, an issue with the placement of the barcode proved to be the culprit. She said the Dallas County Elections Office was supposed to consult with the Secretary of State and USPS to prevent the issue from happening this fall.

Still, Chimene said they’ve recently heard from a handful of voters reporting the problem again.

“There is a little bit of an issue going on there in Dallas County,” she said.

She hopes it is just a “bad batch” of envelopes. She also noted the League of Women Voters of Texas has not heard any reports of this happening in Travis County.

Insufficient time to process a ballot

With a record-breaking number of mail-in ballots expected in Central Texas this year, election officials have been vocal about urging voters to vote early, however they plan to cast their ballot.

Chimene said that’s especially important if someone is voting by mail.

“Do it as early as you can, because if there’s an issue, we want that issue to show up early, so we can do something about it,” she said.

She noted if a Texas voter gets their ballot returned to them, they have several options. They can hand-in their ballot at the designated delivery spot in their county. They can also utilize FedEx, UPS or another carrier with overnight mailing options. She said “if all else fails,” and it’s too close to Election Day, voters can choose to surrender their mail-in ballot at a polling location. That ballot will be destroyed, and the voter will be able to cast their vote in person.

Voters lined up at the delivery spot on Airport Boulevard on Monday afternoon to hand in their mail-in ballots.

“Easy, simple,” Eric Josowitz said.

He said he wasn’t worried about the concerns laid out in the audit. He plans to track his ballot using Travis County’s online tool, which he said will help him feel even more confident about the process.

“You can actually see that it was received successfully, so, feeling good about the whole thing,” he said.

For more information on mail-in voting in Travis County, click here.