On Thursday, Postmaster General David Steiner told reporters that the USPS is fully mobilised to handle the surge of mail‑in ballots ahead of the November 3 midterms, with a new plan taking effect on Oct. 24.
The initiative expands retail hours at select post offices, speeds up sorting, adds extra delivery runs, and creates dedicated ballot‑pickup routes, allowing local hubs to bypass routine processing when necessary.
The measures arrive after the Supreme Court on Sept. 14 rejected a Trump‑era order that would have required states to supply the USPS with voter lists and unique ballot envelopes, a move that would have let the agency reject ballots that did not match the lists.
Earlier this year, the USPS handled 99.2 million ballots nationwide, with 30% cast by mail, down from 46% in 2020, underscoring how critical rapid delivery is for voters who mailed early.
A veteran postal carrier, Ravi Patel, who works in Chicago’s 60607 zip, said he will be on call for the extra runs, hoping to make sure every ballot arrives before the midnight deadline.
The Postal Service will monitor delivery metrics in real time and report daily to Congress, while election officials will receive the ballots by the deadline and begin counting immediately after the polls close.