US midterms: Postal Service announces special measures to ensure mail-in ballots reach voters on time

US Postal Service (USPS) is prepared to handle millions of mail-in ballots ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

The US Postal Service (USPS) is prepared to handle millions of mail-in ballots ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress and decide several key races, Postmaster General David Steiner said on Thursday.“Everybody is engaged and absolutely ready for the next two weeks,” Steiner told reporters, according to The Independent.Earlier this month, the USPS announced a series of special measures to ensure ballots reach election officials on time. The measures include extended retail operating hours at some locations, faster processing, additional delivery runs and dedicated ballot pickups.The measures will take effect on October 24 and are aimed at speeding up the delivery of completed ballots during the final stretch of the election campaign. Steiner said the plan also allows local postal operations to bypass regular processing procedures when necessary to ensure timely delivery.The agency reaffirmed its commitment to delivering all ballots mailed by voters, while advising them to post their ballots at least a week before their local deadlines.The preparations come after the US Supreme Court on September 14 declined to allow the postal service to enforce a rule targeting mail-in ballots, dealing a setback to President Donald Trump’s efforts to tighten restrictions on voting by mail. The USPS subsequently confirmed it would not implement the measure.The rule followed a March executive order by Trump seeking stricter controls on mail-in voting. Under the blocked policy, states would have been required to provide the USPS with lists of eligible mail-ballot recipients and use agency-approved ballot envelopes featuring unique barcodes.The postal service would also have been able to reject ballots that did not meet the requirements or were linked to voters missing from the state-provided lists.During the 2024 presidential election, the USPS handled 99.2 million ballots sent to and from voters. About 30 per cent of votes were cast by mail that year, down from 46 per cent in 2020.Mail-in voting has become a politically significant issue as Republicans seek to retain control of Congress in the midterm elections. Surveys suggest restrictions on mail voting could favour Republicans, as Democratic voters are more likely to use mail-in ballots.