Whistleblower Alleges USPS Mail Ballot Verification System is Rushed and Flawed
3 sources · United States
Who reported this
- MS NOW
- CNN
- Associated Press
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
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Every source for this story reports from United States.
An anonymous whistleblower has alleged that the United States Postal Service is implementing a new mail ballot verification system in a rushed and sloppy manner to comply with an executive order from President Donald Trump. The allegations were released via a report and letter from Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. The system, known as the Federal Ballot Mail Portal, is designed to screen mail ballots against voter lists provided by states. If discrepancies are found between the lists and the ballot envelopes, the USPS could reject entire batches of ballots.
The whistleblower claims that the development process has been haphazard, with IT requirements not clearly documented and testing windows as short as four days. Some internal staff reportedly described the process as a shit show. These technical concerns raise the possibility of catastrophic failure, which the whistleblower suggests could lead to mass disenfranchisement of voters.
The implementation of the executive order is currently being contested in multiple courts. A federal judge recently froze the mandate requiring states to use the system, although the USPS may still offer the portal to states that wish to use it voluntarily. The Justice Department is appealing that ruling. The USPS has not provided comments on these allegations.
Outlets with a center lean focused on the whistleblower's claims of sloppy work and the general conflict over the executive order. Outlets with a center left lean emphasized the risk of mass disenfranchisement and the specific internal chaos within the IT department. Outlets with a left lean framed the issue as a threat to the integrity of the midterm elections and questioned the operational capability of the USPS to safeguard voting rights.
How each side framed it
- Left
- Framed the situation as a risk to the midterm elections and a failure to protect citizens' right to vote.
- Centre-left
- Highlighted the potential for mass disenfranchisement and detailed internal IT dysfunction.
- Centre
- Focused on the whistleblower's claims of poor quality and the general conflict regarding the executive order.
Sources
- Centre Associated Press: Postal Service work to comply with Trump's executive order is rushed and sloppy, a whistleblower contends - apnews.com
- Centre-left CNN: USPS whistleblower describes new plans for voting by mail hidden from the public
- Left MS NOW: ‘Rushed, risky and haphazard’: Whistleblower account of USPS mail ballot process alarms Democratic lawmaker
90% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.