Kansas Secretary of State Seeks Answers from US Postmaster General

TOPEKA – Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab is requesting answers from the U.S. Postmaster General for the agency’s mishandling of legally cast primary election ballots and is seeking assurances that any issues will be rectified for the November general election.

Schwab sent a letter to the Postmaster General outlining his concerns that the ballots of approximately 1,000 Kansans were either properly postmarked but received by county election offices after the three-day grace period or lacked a required postmark.

“Some ballots were not counted because they lacked the required postmark by the U.S. Postal Service, a simple and easy step. This is unacceptable,” Schwab said.

The Secretary is requesting:

• An explanation of the USPS’s policy for ensuring that every ballot is postmarked.
• How USPS will ensure that every ballot is postmarked in the November general election.
• How the USPS will ensure that every ballot that has been placed into its custody prior to election day will be delivered on time to county election offices for the votes to be counted.

“Proper and timely handling of mail ballots is a key aspect to maintaining trust in our election system,” Schwab said.

A copy of the letter, which was also sent to the Kansas congressional delegation, can be viewed at sos.ks.gov.