Whistleblower: USPS secretly rushing new requirements for mail-in voting

Millions of Americans could be at risk of not getting their mail-in ballots on time, or at all, if a new U.S. Postal Service system moves forward as planned.

A new report published in The New York Times from a USPS whistleblower says the agency has been rushing to implement a “secretive, rushed” new digital system tied to President Trump’s effort to impose new federal requirements on mail voting.

All of this as mail-in voting for the midterms is beginning right now, and we’re just two months away from Election Day.

The whistleblower alleges the system was being developed in a “risky and haphazard” way and warns of a potentially “catastrophic failure.” One particularly alarming concern: the system could reject tens of thousands of ballots in a bulk mailing if just one of the ballots in the bulk fails to scan properly.

Here’s where this all gets really complicated: The Supreme Court recently allowed the Trump administration to move forward with its mail-voting plan, but not because the justices ruled the policy itself was legal. The court essentially said the states had challenged it too early .

That changed the legal landscape. States went back to court, and a federal judge temporarily blocked key provisions, saying the challenge was now ripe because the Postal Service had actually published the policy the states were fighting.

So, in plain English: the Supreme Court said, you’re challenging this too soon. USPS then finalized the rules, and the lower court said, now there is something concrete to challenge.

And while that legal back-and-forth continues, the whistleblower says the Postal Service has continued working on the technology that could affect thousands of Americans.

Mail voting isn’t some fringe method of casting a ballot. Roughly one-third of Americans vote by mail, according to Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who released the whistleblower report. Speaking to reporters on the phone Monday, he said, “the main takeaway for me is that the Postal Service has designed a system to disenfranchise millions of Americans.”

Look at Michigan. Thirty-seven percent of votes there were cast by mail in the 2022 midterms. It’s also a state with competitive statewide races. California mails ballots to every registered voter and is expected to be central to the fight for control of the House.

At the same time, the Trump administration is pursuing a much broader election agenda, from restrictions on mail ballots to the SAVE America Act, which would require states to submit their voter rolls for federal inspection and give the Department of Homeland Security a role in determining who is eligible to remain on those rolls. The legislation would also sharply curtail mail-in voting and impose documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration.

There have been multiple moves by this administration to sow doubt in the integrity of U.S. elections, beginning with the president’s continued claim that the 2020 election was stolen. He has repeatedly suggested that American elections are vulnerable to foreign manipulation and even used a prime-time television address in July to make that claim.

At a time when the administration could be focused on policies aimed at strengthening the economy, reducing the cost of living, lowering tariffs that ultimately get passed on to American consumers, or pursuing an end to a war in Iran that has already cost the United States tens of billions of dollars, the president is choosing to make voting itself a battle.

Instead of making it easier for eligible Americans to participate in our elections, these efforts risk creating additional barriers and uncertainty around the process.

Instead of trying to win midterm elections by making it harder for people to vote, the administration should try to win by giving voters a reason to vote and by delivering on policy, improving voters’ lives and making the case for why its vision for the country deserves their continued support.

Lindsey Granger is a NewsNation contributor and co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising.” This column is an edited transcription of her on-air commentary.