A whistleblower is claiming that the US Postal Service’s process to implement the Trump administration’s mail-in ballot restrictions is technically fraught, citing a rushed timeline and lack of testing on the system to get it done, according to a letter sent to the postmaster general from Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.
The whistleblower is described in an attachment to Blumenthal’s letter as an anonymous federal official with direct knowledge of USPS’ new system for handling federal election mail ballots. They allege that the process the Postal Service is implementing to carry out President Donald Trump’s executive order is “rushed” and “risky and haphazard,” according to the letter, which has also been sent to the Postal Service’s inspector general.
Trump’s executive order directing the government agency to deliver mail-in ballots only to eligible voters on federal citizenship lists is being fiercely fought in multiple courts. Most recently, a federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily paused the implementation of the USPS provision in Trump’s executive order. On Monday, the judge clarified that USPS was allowed to continue developing the system while the implementation of it remains paused.
Blumenthal details allegations that the USPS Federal Ballot Mail Portal — designed to screen ballots submitted by state election officials before being sent to voters — is technically flawed and has been put on an “impossible” timeline to finish before the midterm elections.
Additionally, Blumenthal says that without the needed testing, such as debugging the software and customer acceptance testing, there is risk of “catastrophic failure” that has the potential to “derail the midterm elections.”
“The whistleblower’s allegations make clear that USPS lacks the technical or operational capability needed to effectively implement the EO’s provisions in a way that safeguards every citizen’s right to vote in the upcoming midterm elections,” Blumenthal wrote.
“As a result of this rushed process, USPS has been unable to conduct tests of the Portal to ensure its proper functioning, troubleshoot problems, or distribute instructions on use to state election officials,” Blumenthal says in his letter.
The U.S. Postal Service did not respond to questions from MS NOW on claims of a rushed timeline and technical issues.
The whistleblower account, provided to Blumenthal by Whistleblower Aid, claims that the technology needed to build and complete the portal could take a year or more. Instead, the account says, USPS is rushing to finish the portal less than six months after Trump signed his executive order, with a target launch date of Sept. 1.
The first mail ballots that could test this new system may be from North Carolina, where mail ballots are required to be sent out to voters by Sept. 4. Officials there have said they have received “virtually no information” on how USPS’ new rules are being implemented.
Blumenthal has asked USPS to respond to his letter by Sept. 8, telling reporters he believes the agency is “sabotaging” mail-in voting for the upcoming midterm elections.
“The main takeaway for me is that the Postal Service has designed a system to disenfranchise millions of Americans,” Blumenthal told reporters.
Kevin Frey contributed to this reporting.
Casey Gannon is a producer with MS NOW’s Justice and Legal Unit
