A whistleblower identified as a federal official has alleged that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is developing a mail-ballot processing system with technical flaws that could disrupt the upcoming midterm elections. In a disclosure provided to Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the official claimed the agency is continuing to implement a March executive order from President Donald Trump despite recent court rulings. Sen. Blumenthal has formally requested that Postmaster General David Steiner halt the development of the new "Federal Ballot Mail Portal" and its associated regulations.
The controversy stems from an executive order signed by President Trump in March that sought to tighten mail-in voting regulations. While the president stated the measures were necessary to prevent fraud, his administration has not provided evidence of widespread issues. In June, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani blocked portions of the order, but the Supreme Court later lifted that stay on procedural grounds, ruling that a lawsuit by 23 states was premature. Last week, a federal judge temporarily blocked a final USPS rule related to the order, a decision the Justice Department is currently appealing.
Under the new USPS rule, state election officials would be required to submit voter names, addresses, and unique envelope barcodes to a central federal portal. The whistleblower alleges that the USPS is using a "zero percent failure rate" verification process. According to the disclosure, if a sample of 400 ballots from a batch of 10,000 contains even one barcode that fails to scan properly, the entire batch of 10,000 would be rejected and returned to state officials. Lawyers for the whistleblower, from the group Whistleblower Aid, characterized this design as "entirely unforgiving" and warned it could cause significant delays.
Individual voters would notice these effects through delays in receiving their requested mail-in ballots or missing deadlines for outbound mailings. For state election offices, the rule shifts the technical burden of ballot verification to a new, federal online portal, potentially requiring significant administrative resources to address rejected batches. The knock-on effects could include increased pressure on in-person voting sites if mail ballots do not arrive in time, as well as legal challenges regarding the federal government's authority to regulate election procedures typically managed by states. David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation and Research stated these requirements create "hoops" that do not contribute to election integrity.
What happens next depends on the federal appeals process for the current injunction and the technical readiness of the USPS systems. According to the whistleblower disclosure, the Postal Service intended to have the "Federal Ballot Mail Portal" ready for public rollout by September 1. It is not yet reported if the USPS will meet this deadline or if the agency will comply with Sen. Blumenthal’s request to walk back the plans. The Justice Department’s appeal of the lower court’s temporary block remains pending, which will determine whether the agency can legally enforce these new requirements during the current election cycle.