In 2020, when the United States Postal Service began an ambitious plan to modernize and consolidate services – in the middle of the pandemic – its slow service wound up disenfranchising tens of thousands of voters whose ballots never made it to their elections offices in time.
Four years later – by some measures – USPS performance is now actually worse, with another nail-biter of an election fast-approaching.
Compounding the risk that slow mail could affect the election: NBC found some of the country’s slowest mail is in presidential swing states with strict mail ballot delivery deadlines.
“It’s a disgrace,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said of USPS delivery performance. “They need to understand the importance [of election mail] and they need to make no more excuses.