As the Nov. 5 election draws closer, tens of thousands of Kansas and Missouri voters are preparing to cast their absentee ballots through the mail. Whether you’re planning to be out of town on Election Day or have a disability that makes it hard to get to the polls, absentee voting is a convenient way to make sure your voice is heard. But recent U.S. Postal Service delays in both states may throw a wrench in those plans for some voters. Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, the state’s highest-ranking election official, sounded off in a letter to U.S. Postmaster Louis DeJoy about the issue Monday, Sept. 9. “I am extremely concerned there is a troubling pattern that persists in the U.S. Postal Service’s processing and handling of ballots,” Schwab wrote. “Many are either missing postmarks or failing to reach the county election office on time, even when voters have mailed them timely.” He added that nearly one-fifth of Kansas voters cast their ballots by mail, but around 1,000 mail-in ballots were not counted in the Aug. 6 primary election due to missing postmarks or late arrival times. Schwab did not specify where in the state ballots had gone uncounted. TOP VIDEOS The video player is currently playing an ad. “That means that 2 percent of ballots transmitted by mail in Kansas were not counted due to USPS administrative failures,” he wrote. Mail delays in the Kansas City area have been going on for months — and barring some major improvements in the next seven weeks, the issues are likely to persist up to and through Election Day. Here’s what voters can do to ensure their ballot is received and counted.
Source: Kansas City Breaking News & Sports | The Kansas City Star
