How might looming changes to postal ballot standards secretly disrupt the upcoming 2026 elections for millions of rural and older voters?

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The biggest risk is that a technical postal rule change could quietly keep valid mail ballots from ever reaching voters or election offices, especially in places that depend most on the mail. The new USPS ballot-mail standards, finalized in August, require states to redesign ballot envelopes, add specific barcodes, submit voter data through a new federal portal, and pass USPS verification checks before ballots are accepted for delivery in federal elections. Election officials and court filings say that creates a new failure point outside normal state election systems: if records are outdated, a barcode does not scan, or envelope designs are not approved in time, ballots could be delayed or rejected before voters even see them. That matters most for rural and older voters because they are more likely to rely on absentee voting and often have fewer backup options such as nearby early-voting sites or drop boxes. Rural voters also face longer postal routes, so even small disruptions can push ballots past deadlines. Older voters and voters with disabilities are disproportionately represented among regular mail-ballot users. Reporting on the rulemaking described the system as rushed and error-prone, with one whistleblower warning that a single barcode problem could cause an entire batch mailing to be rejected and returned to the state. In large counties, that could affect thousands or even millions of ballots at once. Courts have already warned that enforcing the rule before Novem…

Kamala Harris Targets 2026 Midterms, Accusing GOP of Cheating

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Kamala Harris Targets 2026 Midterms, Accusing GOP of Cheating

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