Audit: Without full compliance, implementation, and a clear understanding of the Election and Political Mail policies and procedures, there is a risk of improper handling, untimely processing, and late delivery of Election and Political Mail. Image: Trevor Bexon/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffPostal facilities processed political and election mail on time at rates in the 97-98 percent range over the four months through April–when many states were holding primaries–although policies related to tracking such mail were not always followed, an inspector general audit has found in what it said will be the part of an ongoing review of an issue in which public interest is high.
That performance, involving items such as ballots being sent to voters and to boards of elections, as well as materials mailed by candidates or parties for political purposes, measured progress through facilities and not to the end delivery point.
The IG said it “found that Postal Service personnel did not always comply with policy and procedures regarding all clear certifications, Election and Political Mail logs, and audit checklists.” In observations at 15 mail processing facilities, for example, it found that 12 did not follow all procedures to certify that the facility was clear of political and election mail by a daily deadline, and that in seven cases such mail was still in the facility after a certification.
It found a similar issue at 29 of 35 delivery units, which have a similar certification requirement but twice a day in that case, with a similar seven that still had such mail on hand after certification. In both cases, the IG cited lack of training and lack of management oversight—which it also cited in findings that logs and audit checklists were not fully accurate.
“Without full compliance, implementation, and a clear understanding of the Election and Political Mail policies and procedures, there is a risk of improper handling, untimely processing, and late delivery of Election and Political Mail,” it said.
“In addition, we identified processes and policies that could pose a risk of delays in the processing and delivery of Election and Political Mail,” it said, including inconsistent election day coordination, a lack of processes to segregate out election mail from the general mail stream and confusion around postmarking.
It added: “The Postal Service will implement “extraordinary measures” to accelerate delivery of ballots two weeks before the general election day, as they did in prior election years. For example, some offices in specific regions are allowed to bypass processing operations and turn around ballots locally, and retail offices may employ a daily “soft opening” and “soft closing” concept, extending retail hours by 30 minutes on both ends in designated sites.” Further, management may use extra resources for delivery, collections, transportation, and scheduling, it said.
Postal management agreed with recommendations regarding following the special procedures for political and election mail although it disagreed with the IG’s view that changes at several facilities under the now-suspended Delivering for America could negatively affect performance.
The report added: “As we are dedicated to oversight of the Postal Service’s processes to ensure that voters using the mail to cast their votes can rely on the Postal Service, we will conduct unannounced site visits in all states throughout the country during our audit of the Postal Service’s performance during the 2024 general election.”
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