President Donald Trump’s initiative to have the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) screen voters for eligibility in the midterm election is facing tight deadlines, which some officials warn could lead to errors and disenfranchisement. The Supreme Court recently allowed USPS to implement a plan based on a Trump executive order requiring states to submit lists of eligible voters to the agency. This would ensure that ballots are not mailed to individuals not on those lists. However, the rule is subject to legal challenges, and USPS has limited time to prepare before some states begin sending out ballots for the November elections.
Tom Day, a Postal Service executive with 35 years of experience, expressed concerns about the feasibility of the new process, stating, "This is not something where you just flip the switch and turn it on. I don’t know how the hell they’re going to do it." Under the new order, USPS must develop a system to cross-reference outgoing ballots with state-provided eligibility lists. While USPS has automated mail processing for decades, it has not previously used these capabilities to identify ineligible mailers.
The Postal Service is currently working on technical solutions to implement the rule, focusing on ensuring an error-free review of mailed ballots against state lists. However, Day indicated that achieving 100% accuracy is unrealistic, predicting a 20% to 30% error rate, which he described as potentially disastrous. He noted that typically, USPS would spend at least a year rolling out a new system like this, including training for 8,000 election boards nationwide.
Another senior postal official highlighted the significant burdens placed on states, echoing concerns raised in federal court. The city of Madison, Wisconsin, and Travis County, Texas, along with outside groups, informed a federal court that USPS lacks sufficient staff to address questions regarding the new process, with only 40 specialized analysts available for inquiries. They argued that unanswered questions could risk disenfranchising voters.
In its final rule, USPS stated it would train its analysts and provide additional resources to ensure consistent and accurate advice. The agency plans to verify ballot eligibility through a process requiring election officials to drop off ballots at designated locations and wait while they are checked. Local officials have criticized this plan as unworkable due to time constraints.
USPS acknowledged that states would need to adjust their processes and incur new costs but argued that the law-enforcement benefits of the rule outweigh these challenges. Various legal actions are underway to prevent USPS from implementing the rule, and the Supreme Court has ruled that previous halts to the executive order were premature before USPS finalized its proposal. The Postal Service maintains it has adequate staffing for enforcement but recognizes that significant work remains to implement the rule, including developing guidance documents for states on how to upload voter lists and manage errors.
USPS anticipates that states will continuously update their lists, meaning its database of eligible voters will evolve until Election Day. The ongoing uncertainty indicates that the agency is creating a process it has not previously undertaken.