Postal Service whistleblower alleges rushed work

A U.S. Postal Service whistleblower says the agency rushed work on a new ballot-mail system tied to President Donald Trump’s executive order on mail voting and did so in a way that could cause errors, delays and ballot rejections ahead of the November midterm elections. The allegations were released September 1 by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the Connecticut Democrat and ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and were later detailed by the Las Vegas Review-Journal on September 2. (blumenthal.senate.gov) (axios.com) The dispute centers on Trump’s March 31, 2026 executive order, which directed the Postmaster General to require secure ballot envelopes with unique Intelligent Mail barcodes and to transmit ballots only to people on state-specific mail-in and absentee participation lists. (blumenthal.senate.gov) The Postal Service’s final rule was published in August, and a federal judge lifted the last injunction blocking it on August 26, allowing USPS to move ahead while new lawsuits continue. ### What, specifically, does the whistleblower say USPS rushed? The whistleblower told Blumenthal that USPS was building an entirely new online system — described in the senator’s release as the “USPS Federal Ballot Mail Portal” and related IT tools — on a compressed timeline. The complaint said the project involved screening whether ballots issued by state election officials should be mailed, a function the whistleblower said could put USPS in a gatekeeping role. (blumenthal.senate.gov) Axios reported the whistleblower said the system was built in weeks rather than the nine months to a year normally needed for a project of that complexity. The Associated Press said the whistleblower warned the work was “rushed and sloppy” and could lead to the rejection of large numbers of ballots. ### What is the new ballot system supposed to do? The White House said Trump’s order was meant to “modernize and secure” mail-in and absentee ballot procedures. (whitehouse.gov) Under the order, USPS is to require ballots sent through the mail to use secure envelopes marked as Official Election Mail with unique barcodes for tracking, and states must provide lists tied to eligible mail voters. CNBC reported the finalized Postal Service rule requires states to provide mail-voter lists and use federally reviewed ballot envelopes with unique barcodes. (blumenthal.senate.gov) The same report said USPS could reject ballot mailings that do not comply. ### Why do critics say this could affect voting in November? The Associated Press reported the whistleblower warned the rushed procedures could create processing errors, chain-of-custody problems and delays nationwide. (axios.com) NPR reported the whistleblower said the technology could “derail” the midterm election if it continued to be rolled out in its current form. About 30% of voters cast ballots by mail in 2024, according to the states challenging the policy in court. NPR reported voting by mail for the 2026 midterms was set to begin this week as the legal fight continued. (whitehouse.gov) ### What has USPS said publicly? NPR reported the Postal Service said it was “carefully reviewing” the whistleblower claim. CNBC reported USPS had previously said it would not apply the rule to the 2026 elections unless both injunctions against it were lifted, a condition that was met after the August 26 ruling. (cnbc.com) The whistleblower also alleged USPS continued work while court orders were still in place, according to multiple reports citing the disclosure. Those allegations have become part of the broader challenge from Democratic-led states, voting-rights groups and Blumenthal. (apnews.com) ### What happens next in the case? Blumenthal wrote Postmaster General David Steiner on August 31 demanding documents and answers about the system and its development. His office published both the letter and the whistleblower disclosure on September 1. (cnbc.com) Federal litigation is still active. CNBC reported that Democratic-led states filed a new lawsuit on August 26 and voting-rights groups amended an existing complaint to challenge the finalized USPS rule directly, even after the injunction was lifted. (npr.org) (cnbc.com) (blumenthal.senate.gov) (cbsnews.com)