The GOP-controlled Senate refused to pass the SAVE America Act before leaving town on summer recess, but the Trump administration is doing what it can to shore up voter integrity and transparency ahead of the midterms.
The U.S. Postal Service has adopted new standards governing mail-in and absentee ballots used in federal elections, introducing additional identification, tracking and data-reporting requirements for election officials.
Under the new policy, states and local election authorities will be required to provide specified voter and ballot information through the Postal Service’s new Federal Ballot Mail Portal before outbound federal ballots are accepted into the mailstream.
The standards are intended to give USPS greater visibility into ballot mail and establish more uniform procedures for tracking ballots as they move through the postal system.
Election officials that fail or decline to provide the required information could have affected outbound ballot mailings rejected for entry into the Postal Service network.
The changes represent a significant expansion of federal standards surrounding the handling and tracking of mail ballots ahead of the November midterm elections.
