At a glance
Washington and Oregon saw a sharp spike in rejected ballots due to late postmarks following Postal Service operational changes. Election officials warn the trend threatens mail voting access before the midterms.
Washington and Oregon reported a sharp spike in rejected ballots citing late postmarks immediately following operational changes at the Postal Service. The timing is direct: USPS modified sorting procedures and mail routing, and ballots that would've arrived on time under the old system now arrived late. Election officials in both states are warning that the trend threatens the accessibility of mail voting before the midterms.
The pattern here matters more than any single number. Both states rely heavily on mail ballots—Oregon votes almost entirely by mail—and both saw the rejection spike correlate with specific USPS operational shifts. Election officials are flagging this as a systemic issue, not a fluke. The question isn't whether the Postal Service intentionally delayed ballots; it's that operational changes happened without coordination with election administrators who depend on mail delivery timelines. If the trend continues or expands to other states, it could silently suppress voting by discarding ballots that arrived late through no voter's fault.
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