New system for screening mail-in ballots risks denying entire batches, says whistleblower
US senator says that project, a key part of Trump’s voting restrictions, is ‘perilously rushed and potentially unlawful’
TL;DR
- A whistleblower has warned that a new system for screening mail-in ballots for the US midterm elections is rushed and inadequately tested.
- The 'Federal Ballot Mail Portal' could reject entire batches of ballots due to a single scanning mismatch.
- Senator Richard Blumenthal states the US Postal Service may lack the technical and operational capabilities to implement the system safely.
- The system is part of new voting restrictions from an executive order by Donald Trump that has faced legal challenges.
- Engineers had approximately three months for a project that normally takes closer to a year, with the full system tested only days before launch.
- Officials reportedly described the effort as 'a shit show' due to the lack of testing time.
- The whistleblower's allegations suggest the system may be unlawful and could disrupt ballot delivery for millions of voters.