Secretary Fontes Statement on USPS Whistleblower

PHOENIX – This morning Senator Richard Blumenthal released a document where a whistleblower at the United States Postal Service (USPS) warns of "potentially catastrophic problems" with the USPS' new system for handling mail ballots. According to the whistleblower, USPS is defying multiple court orders and has embarked on a "secretive, rushed" effort to implement President Trump's mail voting order before the midterms. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes released the following statement:

"This is more confirmation of what my office and myself have been concerned about—that it will be virtually impossible for the USPS to actually implement this rule effectively for the November 3 midterm election and the result will be the disenfranchisement of millions of Americans who vote by mail.

Arizona has allowed eligible voters to vote by mail since the 1990s because we know that voting by mail is safe, secure, and increases voter accessibility. In fact, more than 80% of Arizona voters choose to vote early and overwhelmingly by mail.  

If the USPS decides to go against courts' orders and rushes to implement this rule, it will be devastating for Arizona voters and it will derail the entire midterm election. Under this rule, if a single ballot in a batch of 10,000 has an issue, USPS could refuse to mail all 10,000 ballots, not just the one that was flagged.  

Fair and accessible elections are the backbone of our democracy, and the government works at the consent of the governed, not the other way around. This rule change is a blatant attempt to alter that tenant and undermine mail voting for political reasons.  

As Arizona's Chief Elections Officer, I'm fighting for voters to be able to vote by mail without concerns or uncertainty. That's why I am encouraging every Arizonan who votes by mail to receive it, vote it, and return it by mail immediately. Individuals who vote by mail are also encouraged to sign up for BallotTrax so they can track their ballot and ensure it was counted."   

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes recently sent a declaration regarding the state of California, et al. v. United States Postal Service, et al. case that outlined the Secretary of State's Office's concerns regarding the USPS rule and what would actually need to happen in Arizona for the rule to not cause harm in the upcoming election.