TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab is "disappointed" by postal service response to concerns with mail-in ballots.
"I am in receipt of a letter from the USPS dated September 13, 2024 (and attached), which purports to be responsive to the concerns my office has raised to you regarding the USPS’s failure to postmark election ballots and failure to deliver those ballots timely" Schwab wrote to in the letter to Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Louis DeJoy. "Both actions disenfranchised Kansas voters during the state’s August primary election, and I am seeking your assurance this will not occur in the November 5 general election. To date, I am disappointed in the USPS’s response."
Schwab said in his letter he was "deeply troubled" the USPS is unaware of the issues I raised regarding late delivery of mail."
The letter Schwab sent to DeJoy also was sent to Kansas Sens. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall and Kansas U.S. House members Ron Estes, Jake LaTurner, Tracey Mann and Sharice Davis.
Schwab was particularly concerned with the response from the USPS that they do not postmark or cancel every piece of mail in the system.
“The Postal Service’s policy is to postmark all ballots mailed by voters, whether they are prepaid by election officials or mailed with a stamp affixed by the voter” and raises broader concerns about what other time sensitive mail, such as tax returns, is treated similarly. If there is a USPS policy that not every piece of mail is not postmarked, the USPS should be transparent about this policy so customers, and especially voters, can make the appropriate decision when choosing to return their ballot. Failure to do so further undermines voter confidence in election processes," Schwab's letter states.
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