The U.S. Postal Service failed to properly handle some ballots during this year’s primary elections due to staff training gaps and tracking deficiencies, according to a new audit by the agency’s Office of Inspector General. The report, dated Sept. 4, found that these procedural errors increased the risk of mail-in ballots being postmarked incorrectly or arriving late to election officials, potentially leading to their rejection. Despite these failures, the audit noted that most facilities adhered to election-related policies and that nearly 99% of ballots reached election officials in a timely manner.
The findings emerge as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to allow the Postal Service to implement new rules regulating mail voting, a move stemming from a March executive order signed by President Donald Trump. That order requires states to provide the USPS with lists of eligible voters for mail ballots and mandates that the agency use those lists to determine which ballots are sent. Election experts and union representatives argue that the audit’s findings underscore significant operational challenges that could affect the upcoming November election.
What the Left Is Saying
Critics, including election experts and Democratic officials, argue that the audit confirms the Postal Service is ill-equipped to handle expanded responsibilities. David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, stated that the findings show USPS has "a long way to go to meet its core obligations of delivering election mail in a timely manner." Becker argued that the administration and the agency are "incapable of successfully meeting vast and radical new responsibilities" under the president’s executive order.
The American Postal Workers Union filed a brief with the Supreme Court, stating that implementing the new rules is not practical and poses a "significant risk of wide swaths of Americans not being able to vote by mail." Chelsey Wininger, executive director of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State, said the audit demonstrates that the Postal Service "struggles to implement even basic changes to postal process consistently," reinforcing her organization’s opposition to introducing new rules so close to an election.
What the Right Is Saying
The Postal Service responded to the audit by acknowledging that while internal processes can always be reinforced, "overall ballot mail performance is strong." The agency characterized many of the identified errors as "isolated incidents," citing an example where some New Jersey ballots were mistakenly delivered to Tennessee before being corrected. The USPS agreed with most recommendations to prevent future issues, including improving training and tracking, though it did not immediately respond to further requests for comment.
Supporters of the executive order argue that centralizing mail ballot eligibility through the Postal Service ensures that only verified voters receive mail-in ballots, a measure they view as enhancing election integrity. The audit itself noted that "most facilities we visited generally adhered to Postal Service’s election-related policies and procedures," suggesting that the majority of the system is functioning as intended. The agency stated it will continue to amplify its internal processes between now and November.
What the Numbers Show
According to the Office of Inspector General audit, approximately 6.3 million completed ballots were processed during the primaries. Nearly 99% of these ballots arrived at election officials on time, a slight increase from the approximately 98% on-time rate recorded in 2024. The audit identified specific failures including a lack of staff training on handling election mail, deficiencies in ballot tracking, and errors leading to delays.
The report highlighted that while instances of non-compliance were low relative to overall volume, similar procedural gaps appeared across multiple facilities. The audit explicitly warned that these gaps increase "the risk that Election and Political Mail is not handled, documented, monitored, and reported in accordance with Postal Service policy." The agency did not dispute the statistics regarding the 99% delivery rate but emphasized that the remaining 1% represents a significant number of voters in a close election.
The Bottom Line
The audit serves as a critical piece of evidence for the Supreme Court as it weighs the implementation of new mail voting regulations. If the Court allows the rules to proceed, state election officials warn that the requirements may be impossible to meet for the November election, with mail ballots already scheduled to go out this month. The outcome will determine whether the USPS must assume greater control over the mail voting process despite identified operational weaknesses.
Voters and election administrators should watch for further guidance from the Supreme Court and potential emergency measures from state election boards. The Postal Service has stated its intent to reinforce procedures, but critics maintain that the structural issues identified in the primary elections will persist unless the new rules are paused or modified. The integrity of mail-in voting for the general election remains contingent on how these regulatory and operational challenges are resolved.