Ballot Rejections Have Soared in Rural Counties as USPS Reduces Mail Service

Postal Service cost-cutting has slowed ballot delivery, especially in rural areas, by shifting mail processing from local hubs to larger regional centers and halving pickups at many post offices located far from those centers. Because ballots are not postmarked until they reach processing facilities, these changes can delay both delivery and the postmark voters need to qualify for state grace periods. In eastern Washington, nearly 2,000 ballots arrived too late in this year’s primary, up from about 600 in 2022. Across Washington, California, Ohio, North Carolina and Oregon, late-ballot rejection rates in affected counties doubled or tripled, while increases were much smaller where service was unchanged. The impact was strongest in areas that supported Trump in 2024.

The Postal Service says special procedures for the November election will help: for the 10 days before Election Day, post offices are instructed to separate ballots and deliver those bound for local election offices the day they arrive. Election officials and researchers welcome the more detailed guidance but warn that errors remain possible; an earlier pilot found staff sometimes mishandled ballots because instructions were unclear. The changes affect areas containing at least seven closely contested congressional districts, and an analysis by the Brookings Institution suggests tens of thousands of ballots could be rejected if primary-era patterns persist. The dispute comes as mail voting remains common and the Postal Service continues a restructuring plan intended to save billions of dollars.