Overview
- A 20-page complaint released Tuesday by Sen. Richard Blumenthal says an anonymous USPS official warned agency leaders compressed testing to meet a September 1 deadline and pushed incomplete software into production.
- The system would require states to upload voter lists and assign unique barcodes to ballot envelopes so USPS can verify manifests before accepting or delivering batches.
- The whistleblower alleges USPS resumed development after a June injunction from U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani had limited implementation, a claim that increases legal urgency as the Justice Department appeals court orders.
- Under the portal's planned checks, a single failed envelope scan in a sampled batch could cause USPS to reject the entire mailing and return it to election officials until discrepancies are resolved.
- Election officials warn that compressed testing and the batch-rejection design could delay or block large numbers of mailed ballots this fall and have prompted congressional letters, more litigation, and uncertainty for states preparing to mail ballots.