USPS whistleblower warns new ballot system could fail
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Newsletters Axios Local Show Axios Pro Axios Live The Axios Show Login Axios All topics Axios Search 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy USPS whistleblower warns new ballot system could fail Andrew Pantazi , Donica Phifer email (opens in new window) sms (opens in new window) facebook (opens in new window) twitter (opens in new window) linkedin (opens in new window) bluesky (opens in new window) Add Axios on Google Add Axios as your preferred source to
Add Axios on Google Ballots to be sorted at a polling location inside City Hall during a primary election in San Francisco, California, US, on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A U.S. Postal Service whistleblower is alleging the agency defied court orders while rushing to build a new ballot system that could reject thousands of mail ballots .
The big picture: The whistleblower says the Postal Service built the system in weeks, not the nine months to a year normally needed for a project of this complexity.
The latest: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter Monday to Postmaster General David Steiner with the whistleblower report, demanding that the agency explain its processes and whether it followed court orders to cease work on the new system.
Between the lines: USPS has historically issued guidance on election mail, such as envelope recommendations, but Blumenthal wrote that the agency has never imposed requirements that could lead it to refuse to deliver ballots.
"We urge you to abandon this ill-conceived, unconscionable plan and ensure that all Americans can exercise their constitutional right to vote, including by mail, without interference by USPS," he wrote.
For the record: The Postal Service and the White House have not yet returned requests for comment. Blumenthal's office said it has similarly not yet heard back from USPS.
Catch up quick: The legal battle over mail-in ballots is still underway, with 23 states and Washington, D.C. suing the administration in an effort to block Trump's executive order.
The bottom line: The claim puts a new spotlight on whether USPS can implement a major new ballot-screening system this close to an election, and whether it was building that system while courts told the agency to stop.
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