A whistleblower is alleging the U.S. Postal Service’s plan to implement President Donald Trump’s order exerting federal control of mail ballots risks “catastrophic problems” because of major flaws, and has moved forward in potential violation of a court order blocking it.
The whistleblower, a federal official with direct knowledge of the plan, describes a “secretive, rushed, chaotic, and fundamentally flawed process” in the report, which was prepared by the group Whistleblower Aid and sent to Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut.
“The Whistleblower also raises grave concerns that the administration has hidden the high likelihood that the new ballot mail verification processes will result in major disruptions in mail ballots ever getting delivered
to voters,” the report states.
Trump issued an executive order in March that moved to exert federal control over voter rolls and mail-in ballots. The order directs the Department of Homeland Security to develop lists of eligible voters in each state and mandates the U.S. Postal Service to only deliver ballots to voters on the approved lists.
The move escalated Trump’s bid to place new restrictions on voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake. It was condemned by Democrats and voting rights groups, who said it interferes with state election administration and makes it harder for people to vote.
Trump's order was quickly challenged in court by Democrat-led states, and on June 25 a federal judge in Boston blocked the order. The Postal Service moved ahead with the plan anyway, the whistleblower complaint states.
“Just a few weeks later, on or around July 29, 2026, the project was suddenly resumed without explanation of what authority permitted USPS to ignore the court order,” according to the complaint, which says the Postal Service may have "violated the injunction."
The Supreme Court in an Aug. 24 rulingoverturned the lower court order blocking the Postal Service's mail ballot efforts, saying the legal challenge was premature because a final plan hadn’t been issued. The Postal Service released its final mail ballot rule Aug. 26. It was quickly challenged in court, with a judge again temporarily preventing it from moving ahead while considering a long-term block.
If the Postal Service’s new ballot system is allowed to proceed it could result in a major election disruption, the whistleblower complaint states, calling the system “insufficiently tested” and “poorly planned.”
“Potentially millions of American voters may not receive their mail-in ballot this election cycle in a timely manner, or at all,” the complaint states, while “warning of catastrophic failure which could derail the midterm elections.”
Blumenthal said in a letter to the Postal Service that the agency should scrap the effort
"We urge you to abandon this ill-conceived, unconscionable plan and ensure that all Americans can exercise their constitutional right to vote, including by mail, without interference," he wrote.
Contributing: Sarah Wire
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Whistleblower warns Trump mail ballot plan could be 'catastrophic'
