Whistleblower claims USPS plan for Trump's mail voting order could 'derail' midterms
A whistleblower report alleges that the USPS is rushing the implementation of an untested online portal for mail-in voting, potentially threatening the integrity of the midterm elections. The system is linked to a controversial executive order by former President Trump that remains under legal challenge.
Why it matters
Concerns over election infrastructure and administrative reliability are central to the integrity of democratic processes in the United States.
The U.S. Postal Service could "derail" the midterm election if it continues rushing out "untested" technology as part of President Trump's push to restrict mail-in voting, a newly released whistleblower report warns.
With voting by mail for the midterms set to officially start this week, key parts of the USPS plan for carrying out Trump's directives, including requirements for states to comply, remain blocked for now by a court order in the legal fight over the president's executive order.
Still, the mailing agency has been preparing for months to launch an online portal that would allow state election officials to submit absentee voters' names and ballot envelope barcodes required by the now-blocked rule.
Testing of that new system, however, has been insufficient, according to claims by a whistleblower, outlined in a disclosure that Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut submitted Monday to USPS.
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