Postal Service's New Ballot Scanning System Carries Risk of Mass Rejections
A whistleblower has revealed that a flaw in the hastily prepared mail-in ballot scanning system for the November midterm elections could reject entire batches of votes.
The U.S. Postal Service's new mail-in ballot scanning system, developed for the November midterm elections, has sparked controversy following whistleblower reports to Congress alleging it was insufficiently tested and rushed.
System's Inexperience and Risks
The new system prepared by the U.S. Postal Service to scan millions of mail-in ballots carries significant risk due to its rushed nature and inadequate testing process. According to information provided to Congress by a whistleblower, a single scanning error in the system could lead to the rejection of entire batches containing tens of thousands of votes.
Legal Processes and Court Decisions
The system was developed in March in line with an executive order increasing federal control, and has been repeatedly blocked and cleared in courts on the grounds that it violates state jurisdictions. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal stated in a letter to the Postmaster General that the project was dangerously rushed.
Technical Infrastructure and Engineering Works
It was stated that work that normally takes about a year was squeezed into just three months due to court rulings, and the complete system could only be assembled for testing towards the end of August. According to the whistleblower, the system operates with zero error tolerance, and even the slightest mismatch can cause large-scale cancellations.
Political Reactions and Demands
Robert Garcia from the House Oversight Committee also stated that they received similar reports, describing the situation as a dangerous move. Senator Blumenthal demanded that the Postal Service answer questions and share internal records.