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Whistleblower warns Postal Service's new mail ballot system has "potentially catastrophic problems"

NBC 6 South Florida

Sloppy, rushed': USPS whistleblower warns of issues with system for Trump's mail voting order

Metaculus

Trump Ban States From Using Mail In Ballots For 2026 Midterms

MendlovitzMark

Ginasassyass

RepMikeLevin

RepRobertGarcia

TPM – Talking Points Memo

A Shit Show: Postal Service Whistleblower Warns That New Project Will Sow Chaos in Election

Just The News

USPS rush to comply with Trump's mail-in ballot order prone to errors, whistleblower says

Oversightdemocrats

Ranking Member Robert Garcia Statement on USPS Whistleblower

Forbes

Usps Whistleblower Warns New Rule Could Keep Voters From Getting Ballots What To Know

Senate

Wyden Presses Trump Administration Over USPS Changes Jeopardizing Americans Tax Returns, Mail-In Ballots

NOTUS

Whistleblower Says Secret USPS Plan May Endanger Millions of Mail-in Ballots

Votebeat

USPS whistleblower says rushed new mail ballot systems could disenfranchise voters

NBC News

Whistleblower says USPS system Trump ordered for mail ballots is flawed and untested

Los Angeles Times

Postal Service work to comply with Trumps executive order is rushed, sloppy, whistleblower contends

Whistleblower claims USPS plan for Trump's mail voting order could 'derail' midterms

Raw Story

'Catastrophic failure' baked into Trump attack on mail-in voting: USPS whistleblower

The Washington Post

Whistleblower warns USPS system could block mail ballots

USPS whistleblower describes new plans for voting by mail hidden from the public

New Republic

Whistleblower Warns New USPS Mail Voting Rules Could Sabotage Midterms

MS Now

Rushed, risky and haphazard: Whistleblower account of USPS mail ballot process alarms Democratic lawmaker

CyberScoop

Whistleblower says USPS deploying new, untested IT systems governing mail-in ballots

The Washington Examiner

USPS work to adhere to Trump's mail-in order rushed and 'sloppy': Whistleblower

National League of Cities

Supreme Court Order Reshapes Litigation Over Federal Election Executive Order

Richard Hasen

Marc Elias

American Civil Liberties Union

Tom Fitton

Joe Gruters

Kimberly Jones Merchant

Vikram D. Amar

Andrew Oldham

Jason Snead

Lynn Fitch

Louis Guirola Jr.

Snell & Wilmer

James E. Graves Jr.

Richard H. Bernstein

Michael Watson

"Federal law does not mandate that ballots be received by state officials before Election Day's conclusion, and the panel's contrary holding is erroneous."

"The Fifth Circuit’s analysis runs counter to the plain text of the federal laws it interprets."

"We think there is a good chance the Supreme Court will undertake review, and reverse the Fifth Circuit so that the ruling won’t have any effect even in the states covered by the Fifth Circuit."

“Congress set a national election day to avoid the ‘evils’ of burdening citizens with multiple election days and of risking undue influence upon voters in one state from the announced tallies in states voting earlier. Neither of those concerns,” he concluded, “is raised by allowing a reasonable interval for ballots cast and postmarked by election day to arrive by mail.”

“Federal law requires voters to take timely steps to vote by Election Day,”

"Fifth Circuit’s interpretation will require Mississippi to amend or abandon its five-business-day receipt grace period for federal races and will likely call into question similar laws in other states that allow ballots to arrive after election day."

"The Supreme Court should uphold the historic decision by the Fifth Circuit that sensibly concluded that counting ballots received after Election Day is unlawful.”

"Federal law clearly says that ballots must be received by Election Day."

Will the US Supreme Court Conclude Mail-In Ballots Cannot be Counted After Election Day?

Donald Trump

Karoline Leavitt

David Becker

Michael S. Kang

Rick Hasen

Brennan Center for Justice

Lisa Kashinsky

Richard H. Pildes

Debra Cleaver

Protect Democracy

Michael Schwarz

James Gardner

"The president does not have any legal authority over the administration of mail voting."

"The president does not have direct executive power over elections to ban mail voting."

"The President plays literally no role in elections, and that's by design of the founders."

"[Trump's mail-in ballot ban] would violate the Constitution and is a major step to prevent free and fair elections."

“The President has no power constitutionally to dictate to states the manner in which they conduct national elections."

"[Trump] would need the cooperation of Congress [to ban mail-in ballots], which I think he'd be unlikely to get to have any kind of federal interference with how the midterm elections will be run."

"While the attorney general does not have the authority to prevent states from following their own laws for counting ballots, this command sets up a potential conflict between the federal government and the states over the counting of ballots in the days after Election Day."

"[Trump] might soon announce a long-promised executive order on the subject."

“The White House is working on an executive order to strengthen our elections in this country, and to ensure that there cannot be blatant fraud, as we’ve seen in California, with their universal mail-in voting system."

"I’m going to do an executive order ending vote by mail.'”

Will Trump Ban US States From Using Mail-In Ballots by the 2026 Midterm Elections?

An anonymous federal whistleblower has warned that the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) new Federal Ballot Mail Portal, developed to carry out President Donald Trump's executive order on mail-in voting, was built on a rushed timeline with minimal testing and could disrupt mail ballot delivery ahead of the November midterms.

An anonymous federal whistleblower has warned that the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) new Federal Ballot Mail Portal, developed to carry out President Donald Trump's executive order on mail-in voting, was built on a rushed timeline with minimal testing and could disrupt mail ballot delivery ahead of the November midterms.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) sent a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner after receiving the whistleblower disclosure, urging the agency to halt its mail-voting plans and requesting records and communications about the system's creation be submitted to his office by Sept. 8.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) sent a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner after receiving the whistleblower disclosure, urging the agency to halt its mail-voting plans and requesting records and communications about the system's creation be submitted to his office by Sept. 8.

The whistleblower complaint, prepared by Whistleblower Aid and released Tuesday, alleged that the USPS continued work on its ballot mail IT systems even after U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani issued orders barring the agency from moving forward with implementation.

The whistleblower complaint, prepared by Whistleblower Aid and released Tuesday, alleged that the USPS continued work on its ballot mail IT systems even after U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani issued orders barring the agency from moving forward with implementation.

Under the USPS system, state election officials must submit voter names, addresses and unique ballot barcodes to the Federal Ballot Mail Portal. If a single barcode in a batch of up to 10,000 ballots fails to scan correctly, the entire batch is rejected and returned to state officials.

Under the USPS system, state election officials must submit voter names, addresses and unique ballot barcodes to the Federal Ballot Mail Portal. If a single barcode in a batch of up to 10,000 ballots fails to scan correctly, the entire batch is rejected and returned to state officials.

Previously, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled 6-3 to allow the USPS policy to take effect, finding the legal challenge premature, though the court noted its decision "does not mean that any measure taken by the Government to implement the Order will necessarily be lawful."

Previously, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled 6-3 to allow the USPS policy to take effect, finding the legal challenge premature, though the court noted its decision "does not mean that any measure taken by the Government to implement the Order will necessarily be lawful."

The USPS finalized its new mail ballot rule on Aug. 21, after which updated legal challenges were filed. This led Judge Talwani to temporarily block the rule again. North Carolina began sending mail ballots to some voters in late August, with several other states set to follow in mid-September.

The USPS finalized its new mail ballot rule on Aug. 21, after which updated legal challenges were filed. This led Judge Talwani to temporarily block the rule again. North Carolina began sending mail ballots to some voters in late August, with several other states set to follow in mid-September.

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An anonymous federal whistleblower warned that the U.S. Postal Service's new Federal Ballot Mail Portal, developed to carry out a Trump executive order on mail-in voting, was built on a rushed timeline with minimal testing and could disrupt mail ballot delivery ahead of the November midterms.

An anonymous federal whistleblower warned that the U.S. Postal Service's new Federal Ballot Mail Portal, developed to carry out a Trump executive order on mail-in voting, was built on a rushed timeline with minimal testing and could disrupt mail ballot delivery ahead of the November midterms.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., sent a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner after receiving the whistleblower disclosure, urging the agency to halt its mail-voting plans and requesting records and communications about the system's creation be submitted to his office by Sept. 8.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., sent a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner after receiving the whistleblower disclosure, urging the agency to halt its mail-voting plans and requesting records and communications about the system's creation be submitted to his office by Sept. 8.

The whistleblower complaint, prepared by Whistleblower Aid and released Tuesday, alleged that USPS continued work on its ballot mail IT systems even after U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani issued orders barring the agency from moving forward with implementation.

The whistleblower complaint, prepared by Whistleblower Aid and released Tuesday, alleged that USPS continued work on its ballot mail IT systems even after U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani issued orders barring the agency from moving forward with implementation.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to allow the USPS policy to take effect, finding the legal challenge premature, though the court noted its decision "does not mean that any measure taken by the Government to implement the Order will necessarily be lawful."

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to allow the USPS policy to take effect, finding the legal challenge premature, though the court noted its decision "does not mean that any measure taken by the Government to implement the Order will necessarily be lawful."

USPS finalized its new mail ballot rule on Aug. 21, after which updated legal challenges were filed, leading Judge Talwani to temporarily block the rule again. North Carolina began sending mail ballots to some voters in late August, with several other states set to follow in mid-September.

USPS finalized its new mail ballot rule on Aug. 21, after which updated legal challenges were filed, leading Judge Talwani to temporarily block the rule again. North Carolina began sending mail ballots to some voters in late August, with several other states set to follow in mid-September.

A USPS whistleblower revealed that Trump officials kept building an untested ballot tracking system even after a federal judge ordered them to stop — and that's a five-alarm crisis for democracy. A single bad scan in this rushed system could wipe out thousands of ballots, leaving millions of Americans without a vote. Defying a court order while putting voting rights at risk demands real consequences, full accountability and immediate congressional action.

A USPS whistleblower revealed that Trump officials kept building an untested ballot tracking system even after a federal judge ordered them to stop — and that's a five-alarm crisis for democracy. A single bad scan in this rushed system could wipe out thousands of ballots, leaving millions of Americans without a vote. Defying a court order while putting voting rights at risk demands real consequences, full accountability and immediate congressional action.

Mike Levin

Robert Garcia

Democrats are running interference on basic ballot security by hiding behind an anonymous source and a single sympathetic federal judge to kill EO 14399 before it ever gets off the ground. Verifying who actually receives a mail ballot isn't voter suppression — it's common sense election integrity. The "whistleblower" playbook is a stall tactic dressed up as a constitutional crisis, and Americans deserve better than that kind of political theater.

Democrats are running interference on basic ballot security by hiding behind an anonymous source and a single sympathetic federal judge to kill EO 14399 before it ever gets off the ground. Verifying who actually receives a mail ballot isn't voter suppression — it's common sense election integrity. The "whistleblower" playbook is a stall tactic dressed up as a constitutional crisis, and Americans deserve better than that kind of political theater.

Gina Beana Fofina

Mark Mendlovitz

US Midterms: The SAVE Act

Whistleblower: USPS Ballot Portal Risks Midterm Chaos

Whistleblower: USPS Ballot Portal Risks Midterm Chaos

Electoral systems

United States of America

Whistleblowers

If what this whistleblower has revealed proves to be true, the system the Trump administration plans to put in place will be a five-alarm crisis for democracy. A single bad scan in this rushed system could wipe out thousands of ballots, leaving millions of Americans without a vote. Defying a court order while putting voting rights at risk demands real consequences, full accountability and immediate congressional action.

If what this whistleblower has revealed proves to be true, the system the Trump administration plans to put in place will be a five-alarm crisis for democracy. A single bad scan in this rushed system could wipe out thousands of ballots, leaving millions of Americans without a vote. Defying a court order while putting voting rights at risk demands real consequences, full accountability and immediate congressional action.

Once again, Democrats are running interference on basic ballot security by hiding behind an anonymous source and a single sympathetic federal judge to kill this initiative before it ever gets off the ground. Verifying who actually receives a mail ballot isn't voter suppression — it's common sense election integrity. The "whistleblower" playbook is a stall tactic dressed up as a constitutional crisis and America deserves better.

Once again, Democrats are running interference on basic ballot security by hiding behind an anonymous source and a single sympathetic federal judge to kill this initiative before it ever gets off the ground. Verifying who actually receives a mail ballot isn't voter suppression — it's common sense election integrity. The "whistleblower" playbook is a stall tactic dressed up as a constitutional crisis and America deserves better.

There's a 4% chance that Trump will ban U.S. states from using mail-in ballots for the 2026 midterm elections, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

There's a 4% chance that Trump will ban U.S. states from using mail-in ballots for the 2026 midterm elections, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Whistleblower: US Postal Service Ballot Portal Risks Midterm Chaos

Whistleblower: USPSUS Postal Service Ballot Portal Risks Midterm Chaos

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Whistleblower: US Postal Service Ballot Portal Risks Midterm Chaos

Whistleblower: USPSUS Postal Service Ballot Portal Risks Midterm Chaos

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