Judge Halts USPS Mail-Ballot Portal for 14 Days as Whistleblower Warns Millions Could Be Affected
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Sep 1
Judge Halts USPS Mail-Ballot Portal for 14 Days as Whistleblower Warns Millions Could Be Affected
3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Sep 1
Summary
A federal judge has frozen the USPS mail-ballot portal under a 14-day temporary restraining order, leaving it unclear whether any part of Trump’s proposed system can take effect before November.
Blumenthal released whistleblower allegations that the portal was built on an impossible timetable with inadequate testing, creating a risk of “catastrophic failure” that could delay or block ballots for potentially millions of voters.
The report says a “zero percent failure rate” rule could reject entire batches if one barcode fails to scan, with some voters potentially unaware their ballots were rejected until it is too late.
The whistleblower also alleges USPS resumed work in July despite a court-ordered pause; Judge Indira Talwani will hear arguments Thursday on whether to extend the halt into a preliminary injunction.
North Carolina begins sending ballots to overseas military voters on Friday, but the ongoing court fight makes it increasingly unlikely Trump’s mail-voting changes will affect the 2026 midterms, though the dispute could run into 2028.