Transparency concerns as USPS reportedly changes delivery method of absentee ballots

Independent journalist Peter Bernegger claimed that the United States Postal Service (USPS) recently altered its handling process for absentee mail-in ballots. 

On October 27th, Bernegger posted on X, formerly Twitter, alleging that the USPS now bypasses central sorting facilities for these ballots. These facilities typically scan each envelope to create electronic records. According to Bernegger, this procedural change might obscure potential evidence of election fraud by preventing the creation of such records.

Bernegger detailed the usual USPS process, explaining that most mail, including ballots, traditionally passes through central sorting facilities, even if the intended recipient lives nearby. Wisconsin, for example, uses six main sorting facilities in cities like Madison, Milwaukee, and Green Bay. Under standard operations, these facilities would scan absentee ballots, generating a digital archive of envelope images. Bernegger argued that a recent internal USPS directive now mandates that absentee ballots bypass these centers and go directly to local election clerks, thereby eliminating the record-keeping process.

The journalist attributed this shift to Amber McReynolds, a USPS board member and former head of the National Vote at Home Institute, suggesting that her influence aligns with political interests from the Obama and Biden administrations. He also connected USPS’s recent consolidation efforts to similar changes that began in 2011-2012 under Obama, reducing over 200 spoke offices to 21 regional Sort and Delivery Centers. Bernegger claimed that these consolidations—particularly those completed between August 2022 and February 2023—have complicated public access to absentee ballot records, limiting the transparency of mailed votes.

Bernegger further shared a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) response from the USPS, dated October 25, which he said confirms that no absentee ballot records exist in Wisconsin’s sorting facilities. Issued by the USPS Privacy and Records Management Office, the FOIA response stated that despite a thorough search, no electronic records matched Bernegger’s request for absentee ballot images. Bernegger’s FOIA request, filed on October 15, had sought digital images of absentee ballots from Wisconsin’s main sorting facilities, including those in Green Bay, Madison, and Milwaukee. USPS’s response invited Bernegger to appeal within 90 days if he wished to contest the lack of records.

Bernegger’s claims have stirred discussion across social media, with many questioning whether USPS’s updated absentee ballot procedures could impact electoral transparency nationwide. He continues to encourage those familiar with USPS protocols to corroborate his allegations, hinting that these procedural changes could have significant implications for election integrity.