Rep. Calvert demands answers from USPS on ballot delivery delays

Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-41) wrote a letter to U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General Louis DeJoy demanding answers about the late delivery of more than 100 mail-in ballots in California’s March Primary Election that resulted in the ballots not being counted. As reported

last month by the Press Enterprise, at least 104 voters in Riverside, Orange and San Bernardino counties mailed their ballots with a postmark on or before Election Day. However, because the ballots were not delivered by the USPS to their respective county’s registrar of voters before the end of the seven-day period following an election as stipulated in state law, the ballots were not counted.

“The fact that these voters were denied their ability to exercise their constitutional duty due to flaws in the mail-in ballot system is shocking,” said Rep. Calvert. “In American elections, it’s not hyperbole to say every vote matters – it’s a fundamental component of our democracy. There’s no question that the increased role of mail-in ballots has put the USPS in a more critical position in our election process. Americans must have confidence that the USPS is up to the task of supporting our democracy.”

The letter from Rep. Calvert asks the USPS the following questions:

1. Why were the 104 mail-in ballots in Southern California unable to be delivered to their respective county registrars of voters on time?
2. How does the USPS coordinate with both state and local election officials to ensure that mail-in ballots are processed and delivered in an appropriate time frame to ensure they are counted?
3. Does the USPS maintain a database tracking the number of mail-in ballots that are disbursed each election and delivered late to election officials?
4. How has the USPS modernized its election mail system to account for the significant increase in mail-in voting that states, like California, have experienced?
5. Please provide a detailed explanation of each step being taken in Southern California to ensure every completed mail-in ballot deposited in a USPS mailbox for the 2024 General Election and beyond, is counted.