SEATTLE (AP) — The number of ballots rejected for late postmarks has increased in the vote-by-mail states of Washington and Oregon, according to newly released data. This trend raises concerns about recent changes in U.S. Postal Service operations ahead of the upcoming midterm election.
The Postal Service has been consolidating operations with a focus on regional hubs to reduce costs. Some U.S. senators and election officials have warned that these changes could delay the application of postmarks to ballots, potentially preventing valid votes from being counted.
Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read stated, "More Oregonians had their voices go unheard just because their ballots couldn't make it through the mail in time," referring to the state's primary in May. He described this situation as unacceptable.
The operational changes at the Postal Service have raised concerns about the future of voting by mail, particularly in Western states where this method is widely used. Former President Donald Trump has criticized mail-in voting, claiming it is prone to fraud, despite having voted by mail himself.
Read has requested emergency funding to install 20 new ballot drop boxes in areas where access is limited. Washington's Secretary of State has allocated approximately $300,000 to reimburse counties for adding 21 drop boxes.
In two rural Washington counties, ballots rejected for late postmarks accounted for over 4% of all ballots cast in the recent primary. Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington noted the irony that postal changes might disenfranchise some of Trump's supporters.
In December, the Postal Service finalized a rule stating that postmarks do not necessarily indicate the date the agency first received a piece of mail, but rather the date it was processed. The agency has also changed its policy to transport mail once a day from post offices or collection boxes located more than 50 miles from a distribution center.
The Postal Service acknowledged that these changes could lead to postmarking delays, advising voters to mail their ballots early, ideally at least one week before the due date.
During Oregon's weeklong grace period for the May primary, 7,314 ballots were not counted because they were postmarked after Election Day, resulting in a rejection rate of 13%, an increase from 9.5% two years prior. In Washington, the number of late-postmarked ballots rose from 16,131 in 2024 to 20,267 this year.
California also reported similar issues, with approximately 93,500 ballots rejected in the June primary due to late postmarks.
In Stevens County, Washington, the rate of rejected ballots for late postmarks quadrupled. Auditor Lori Larsen noted that on August 7, three days after the primary, her office received 547 ballots with late postmarks, leading her to initially suspect mail interruptions due to wildfires.
In Yakima County, nearly 4.4% of all ballots cast in the primary were rejected for late postmarks. County Auditor Charles Ross expressed concern that postal changes could disproportionately affect voters in rural areas compared to those in urban centers.
Associated Press writer Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles contributed to this report.