A new U.S. Postal Service whistleblower report set off public outcry about President Donald Trump's attempt to seize control of the midterm elections.
USPS is pressing ahead with a "secretive, rushed" system to implement Trump's order giving the agency control over mail-ballot verification — in violation of court orders, according to a new whistleblower report released by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
"The main takeaway for me is that the Postal Service has designed a system to disenfranchise millions of Americans," Blumenthal said. "One-third of all Americans cast their ballots by mail, and the USPS puts all of their votes at risk."
Under Trump's March executive order, states must submit lists of mail voters to USPS, which will refuse to deliver ballots if that information doesn't match its envelope scans. The whistleblower says the process leaves no margin for error, stating that if even one scanned envelope mismatches, USPS could withhold an entire ballot batch — potentially delaying thousands of ballots at once.
Staff reportedly called the rushed development a "s--- show," with requirements constantly changing and rarely documented, and only four days allotted for outside user testing.
A federal judge has already blocked USPS from mandating states use the system, though it can still be offered voluntarily, and the Justice Department is appealing. North Carolina begins mailing ballots this week.
"Potentially millions of American voters may not receive their mail-in ballot this election cycle in a timely manner, or at all," the whistleblower warned in the report, prepared with the nonprofit Whistleblower Aid.
The revelations ignited a firestorm on social media, where legal experts, reporters and elected officials warned the system appeared to be designed to undermine trust in November's election.
"Not so fast Trump," cautioned attorney Norm Eisen of Democracy Defense Fund. "'Whistle-Blower Says Trump Officials Defying Court Orders on Vote by Mail'? We @DDFund_ are already litigating all this & we are going right to court to stop this outrage. Judges hate it when you flout their orders."
"Our elections are safe and secure. They WORK," stated Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA). "Trump is trying to sow chaos for mail voting in the midterm elections because prices are up, his policies are unpopular, and he knows the American people are going to be heard loud and clear on Election Day.
"If Republicans actually cared about 'election integrity,' they’d stop Trump from illegally suppressing the votes of Americans to manipulate the outcomes of the midterm elections," shamed progressive activist Melanie D'Arrigo.
"If true, and I don't doubt that it is, what is our recourse?" asked journalist Jay Bookman. "To whom do we turn to halt this clearly illegal, clearly unconstitutional attempt to muck up fair elections? Congress? OK, right. The Supreme Court? As if. The DOJ? Yeah, AG Blanche will get right on it."
"Make a plan for you and your loved ones to vote in-person this year, either early or on Election Day," urged law professor Ben Yelin.
"Trump continues to interfere with mail ballots despite court orders," noted attorney Abbie Kamin. "Let that sink in."
"You — and the courts — are required to assume that this administration will engage in fair play," opined political scientist Micah Rasmussen. "It will then assert the right to take full advantage of this assumption."
"This has all the makings of a disaster," warned The Bulwark's Sam Stein. "It's like building healthcare dot gov, only in a more compressed timeframe and with the architects kinda hoping for failure. Oh, and the damage is utter distrust and chaos in our elections."