All About Mail In Voting As Millions Of Voters Opt For Paper Ballots

Voting by mail has increasingly gained traction among Americans as a method for casting their ballots, but it has faced unsubstantiated allegations of fraud and a growing climate of distrust. Recently, this process has encountered direct threats from suspected individuals.

In spite of these challenges, election officials and law enforcement agencies have diligently worked to ensure that mail ballots are delivered and counted promptly, while also safeguarding against any potential fraud.

25.6 million Americans already returned mail ballots

As of Tuesday, more than 25.6 million Americans had returned mail ballots, and over 65 million, including military personnel stationed abroad, had requested absentee ballots, according to data from the Election Lab at the University of Florida. During the 2020 election, over 65 million votes were cast via mail, a trend that surged due to the pandemic.

In the past two elections, former President Donald Trump raised concerns about the security of mail voting, asserting that mail ballots are not sufficiently secure. However, his claims have not been supported by evidence and have been consistently dismissed by multiple courts, election officials, audits, and security checks across various elections.

Fraud in mail-in voting?

Research indicates that instances of fraud in mail-in voting are infrequent. In the few cases where fraud has occurred, those responsible faced consequences, and the fraudulent votes were never counted. A notable case in North Carolina during the 2018 midterms involved Leslie McCrae Dowless, a political operative for Republican candidate Mark Harris, who engaged in fraudulent practices by collecting uncompleted ballots and filling them out to benefit his candidate, as reported by MIT’s Election Lab. Following this incident, a new election was held, and Dowless was convicted of fraud in 2020.

Researchers from MIT’s Election Lab noted that while many experts agree fraud is generally uncommon, they observed that it seems somewhat more prevalent in mail voting compared to in-person voting.

Accurate delivery of mail ballots

This year, efforts to ensure the timely and accurate delivery of mail ballots remain robust. The initial security measure takes place at the election office. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, a non-profit public policy institute, 42 states mandate that voters applying for mail ballots undergo thorough approval processes.

Election officials compare ballot requests with the voter registration records to guarantee that ballots are sent to the correct individuals and that each voter receives only one ballot. The remaining eight states, along with the District of Columbia, automatically mail ballots to all registered voters, allowing them the choice to vote by mail or in person. The Brennan Center highlighted that regular mailings help maintain current voter registration records, ensuring that ballots reach eligible voters at their accurate addresses.

Checks in place

When voters mail their ballots, additional checks are in place. These are dispatched in envelopes that contain unique tracking codes and barcodes, enabling officials to monitor their status. Many states also allow voters to track their own. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is legally obligated to prioritize election-related mail and has implemented “extraordinary measures” to ensure timely deliveries, which include extra collections, specialized sorting plans at processing facilities, and dedicated handling of ballots. The USPS reported that 99.9% of ballots were delivered within a week in 2020, with 98.3% delivered within three days.

The USPS’s law enforcement division investigates cases of mail fraud, including potential tampering with letters or packages. Furthermore, several states provide voters the option to submit their absentee ballots in person at election offices, approved ballot drop boxes, or early voting locations.

Signatures on mail ballots

All mail ballots require at least one signature, with some states, like Pennsylvania, also requiring a signature on the envelope. A majority of state election offices—31 in total—employ signature verification systems, where election workers compare signatures across multiple records. The Brennan Center indicated that some officials receive training from law enforcement to identify forgeries. In cases where election workers are uncertain about signature matches, several states mandate that these be sent to a bipartisan team for further review.

The Brennan Center emphasized that these teams consist of an equal number of Republican and Democratic members. If discrepancies are identified, election officials in 24 states are obligated to inform voters of the issues and allow them to rectify them before Election Day. Although Pennsylvania lacks a statewide requirement for correcting erroneous mail ballots, a 2022 court ruling granted county election departments the authority to amend such errors.

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