Ballots discounted for late postmarks surged in Washington and Oregon after Postal Service changes

SEATTLE (AP) – The number of ballots rejected for late postmarks has soared in the vote-by-mail states of Washington and Oregon, according to newly published data highlighting worries regarding recent changes in U.S.

Key points

• The struggling agency has been consolidating its operations with an emphasis on regional hubs in a bid to save billions of dollars.
• That prediction is being borne out, they say, with thousands of voters having their ballots rejected during this year's primaries.
• Trump has repeatedly attacked mail-in voting, falsely claiming it's riddled with fraud, despite having voted by mail himself.
• Over the weekend, his administration asked the U.S.

Meanwhile, the struggling agency has been consolidating its operations with an emphasis on regional hubs in a bid to save billions of dollars. Some U.S. Senators and election authorities for months have been warning that the changes could delay the application of postmarks to ballots – even if they're mailed on or before Election Day. That would prevent otherwise valid votes from counting.

"More Oregonians had their voices go unheard just because their ballots couldn't make it through the mail in time, " Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read informed a news conference Tuesday, referring to the state's primary in May. "That is unacceptable."

In practice, the operational changes at the Postal Service are compounding worries regarding the future of voting by mail, especially in some Western states where the method is universal and widely popular. Trump has repeatedly attacked mail-in voting, falsely claiming it's riddled with fraud, despite having voted by mail himself.

Over the weekend, his administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a judge's ruling blocking his executive order that seeks to restrict mail-in voting, a method applied by almost one-third of voters in the U.S.

Taken together, the developments around ballots discounted for late postmarks surged in Washington and Oregon after Postal point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.