A new audit released last month from the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of the Inspector General confirmed that many USPS facilities are failing to follow proper Election Mail procedures. These USPS service problems threaten the security of votes cast by mail in the upcoming election.
The independent USPS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducts “audits, evaluations, research, and investigations” to fulfill its “mission of ensuring efficiency, accountability, and integrity in the U.S. Postal Service.” In November 2023, the OIG commenced a self-initiated audit of “Election Mail Readiness for the 2024 General Election.” The audit aimed “to evaluate the Postal Service’s readiness for the timely processing and delivery of Election and Political Mail for the 2024 general election,” and was conducted at “15 judgmentally selected mail processing facilities and 35 delivery units located in 13 states and Puerto Rico during primary elections in February and March 2024,” according to the report.
The audit’s findings identified three primary areas of concern, stating that “opportunities exist for the Postal Service to improve readiness for timely processing and delivery of Election and Political Mail for the 2024 general election,” with only around three months to go until Election Day.
Lack of Compliance With Election Mail and Political Mail Policies
The first finding detailed how postal service personnel were not complying with certain Election and Political Mail policies and procedures. According to the report, the USPS has developed an “Election Mail and Political Mail Guidebook,” that “provides employees with many of the key resources
