Source: Fortune
Summary
Nearly 150,000 mail-in ballots in California’s June primary were rejected, with late-arriving ballots being the main reason. The state’s voter foundation and election experts suspect that changes in the US Postal Service’s postmarking procedures may be a contributing factor. The rejection rate was 1.73% of all mail ballots, with lateness accounting for 93,479 rejected ballots. Experts are concerned about the impact of postal changes on mail-in voting, particularly in an election year.
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The numbers tell one story. California’s mail ballot rejection rate jumped to 1.73% in June, with late-arriving ballots being the main culprit. The state’s voter foundation and election experts point to changes in the US Postal Service’s postmarking procedures as a possible cause. Lawmakers are concerned about the impact on mail-in voting, particularly in an election year. The Postal Service’s updated policy says postmarks may not indicate the first day the mail was received, but rather the day it was handled in a processing center.
One observation: “The timing of the postmark is now a voting rights issue.”
