Oregon election officials say thousands of ballots were rejected this year because postmarks were applied after Election Day, a problem they tie to recent operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service that have consolidated processing and shifted work to regional hubs.
Officials blame mail processing shifts for surge in rejected ballots
The number of ballots tossed for late postmarks rose sharply in both Oregon and Washington during this year’s primaries, according to data released by state officials and reported by regional news outlets. Elections administrators say the increase illustrates how changes at the Postal Service can directly affect voters in states that rely heavily on vote-by-mail.
Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said at a news conference that the spike in rejections meant “more Oregonians had their voices go unheard just because their ballots couldn’t make it through the mail in time.”
“More Oregonians had their voices go unheard just because their ballots couldn’t make it through the mail in time,”
Read called the outcome “unacceptable” and is seeking emergency funding from lawmakers to place additional ballot drop boxes in areas where reliable access to the mail is limited.
What officials are doing
In response to the surge in late-postmark rejections, Oregon is pushing for immediate measures to protect access to voting by mail. Read has requested money to install 20 new ballot drop boxes in underserved areas. Washington’s secretary of state has already spent about $300,000 to reimburse counties for adding 21 drop boxes ahead of this election cycle.
- Oregon: Secretary of State asking for funding to add 20 drop boxes.
- Washington: Secretary of State reimbursed counties about $300,000 for 21 additional drop boxes.
- Both states: reporting large increases in ballots rejected for late postmarks following USPS operational shifts.
Election officials and some lawmakers warned for months that the Postal Service’s emphasis on consolidating operations into regional hubs could slow the application of postmarks and delay mail processing, even for ballots mailed on or before Election Day. The recent data from the primaries appears to validate those concerns, they say.
Broader context and legal battles
The issue comes as voting by mail remains a common practice in many Western states. Officials point out that the consequences of delayed postmarks are particularly acute where universal mail voting is the norm: a late postmark can convert a timely-mailed ballot into one that is ineligible to be counted.
The debate over mail voting has also surfaced at the national level. The Trump administration recently asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a judge’s ruling that had blocked an executive order aimed at restricting mail-in voting. That legal effort and partisan rhetoric about mail ballots have heightened scrutiny of Postal Service operations and their potential electoral impact.
| Action | Details |
|---|---|
| Oregon request | Funding for 20 new drop boxes |
| Washington action | ~$300,000 reimbursed for 21 drop boxes |
Local election officials stress that voters can reduce the risk that their ballots will be rejected by using drop boxes where available or by delivering ballots directly to county election offices before deadlines. County election websites list drop-box locations and hours, and many counties publish deadlines and processing procedures to help voters confirm their ballots were received and counted.
Secretary Read and counterparts in Washington have urged additional federal and state attention to the effects of Postal Service changes on elections, noting that operational decisions intended to save money may carry substantial costs in terms of public confidence and voter access.
The issue is likely to remain central as states and election administrators prepare for the fall midterm elections, when higher turnout could increase both reliance on the mail and the potential scale of late-postmark problems.
