Democrats warn USPS changes could threaten mail voting in midterms
A coalition of House Democrats is sounding the alarm over new U.S. Postal Service changes they say could put voters at risk in the 2026 midterm elections, particularly in rural communities and states with strict election deadlines.
In a letter sent Monday to Postmaster General David Steiner, Democrats led by U.S. Reps. Robert Garcia of California and Joseph Morelle of New York argued that the Postal Service’s Regional Transportation Optimization program — known as RTO — threatens the reliability of mail-in voting just as millions of Americans continue to rely on it to participate in elections.
“Many constituents have raised concerns with the December 24, 2025, revision to the Domestic Mail Manual regarding its postmarking, transportation schedules, and their effect on mail voting,” the lawmakers wrote. “We write to express concerns regarding the potential effect of the Postal Service’s new transportation schedule through the Regional Transportation Optimization initiative on mail delivery performance during the 2026 midterm election season.”
The Democrats are careful to note that the December update to USPS rules did not create a new postmark policy. Instead, they say, it documented existing practices while incorporating new transportation schedules tied to RTO.
Full article at Democracy Docket:
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/democrats-warn-usps-changes-could-threaten-mail-voting-in-midterms/
Full letter to the Postmaster General:
https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/imo/media/doc/20260202garciaetallettertouspsrerto.pdf