The U.S. Postal Service has been in the spotlight recently due to its new system for handling mail-in voting, a process that has become increasingly important in recent years. However, an anonymous federal official has come forward with serious allegations about the system’s rushed development and potential for failure.
The whistleblower, represented by David Kligerman of Whistleblower Aid, claims that the new IT system was built in a matter of weeks and has not been adequately tested. This has raised concerns about the system’s ability to handle the upcoming midterm elections, which are set to begin this week.
Whistleblower’s Concerns
The whistleblower’s main concern is the system’s zero-percent failure policy. This means that if even a single ballot in a batch fails to verify, the entire batch is rejected and sent back to the state. This could potentially delay ballots for thousands of voters, as the process would have to be repeated.
The whistleblower also alleges that the system has crashed during testing and that workers involved in its development have described the process as a ‘s— show’. Despite these concerns, the USPS has continued to develop the system, even after court orders blocked its implementation.
USPS’s Response
The USPS has stated that it is ‘carefully reviewing’ the whistleblower’s concerns. However, the agency has also defended its new system, stating that it is ‘a simple, secure, and efficient way’ for election officials to share lists of individuals receiving ballots by mail.
The agency has also stated that the portal is just one part of a broader effort to ensure that election mail and ballots are handled and delivered securely, reliably, and efficiently. However, the whistleblower’s allegations have raised serious questions about the system’s readiness and potential impact on the upcoming elections.
The Legal Battle
The USPS’s new system is part of President Trump’s push to restrict mail-in voting. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the USPS from requiring states to use the portal in order to send out their mail-in ballots for the midterm election. However, the USPS is appealing this ruling, setting the stage for a potential legal battle.
Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut has also weighed in on the issue, urging the USPS to abandon its ‘ill-conceived, unconscionable plan’. Blumenthal has stated that the details of the whistleblower’s disclosure are ‘mind-boggling’ and that the Postal Service has designed a system that is ‘intended to fail’.
As the legal battle continues, the whistleblower’s allegations have raised serious concerns about the potential impact of the USPS’s new system on the upcoming midterm elections. With voting by mail set to officially start this week, the stakes could not be higher.
