WISCONSIN (NBC 26) — U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is calling for an investigation into U.S. Postal Service delays during Wisconsin's spring election after hundreds of absentee ballots arrived too late to be counted.
In a letter to USPS Inspector General Tammy Hull, Baldwin requested a review of the Postal Service's handling of election mail ahead of the April 7 spring election. She said hundreds of Wisconsinites mailed their absentee ballots before Election Day — some weeks in advance — but their votes were not counted because the ballots arrived after the state's deadline.
According to Baldwin, two-thirds of Wisconsin election officials reported problems with election mail during the spring election, with some saying ballots took seven to 10 days or longer to reach polling locations.
"If the election mail delays that we saw this spring are not addressed, they are likely to disenfranchise an even greater number of voters during the fall elections," Baldwin said. "Ensuring timely delivery of election mail is essential to maintaining public confidence in our elections, and delays that prevent ballots from arriving on time undermine voters' trust that our elections are fair and reliable."
Baldwin said reports from election officials indicate hundreds of absentee ballots received by the Postal Service before Election Day were not delivered until after the state's 8 p.m. Election Day deadline and therefore were not counted.
In her letter, Baldwin asked the USPS Office of Inspector General to identify any issues affecting the timely delivery of election mail so they can be addressed before Wisconsin's fall elections.
The request comes as Baldwin has continued to raise concerns about USPS operations, including mail delays, staffing shortages and proposed changes to the handling of mail-in ballots. Earlier this year, she also called on Postmaster General David Steiner to address ongoing delivery delays affecting Wisconsin residents, businesses and newspapers.
For Tammy Baldwin's full letter, you can find that here.
