Officials warn USPS delivery changes are raising late-postmark rejections; state urges dropbox use

State election officials told senators that changes in USPS processing and routing have contributed to more ballots arriving after deadline postmarks, prompting counties to adapt operations and increase the availability of dropboxes.

Secretary of State staff described a mix of cyber and physical threats and said federal support that previously provided technical assistance has been reduced. "Nation state actors have increased capabilities and have not let up on their cyber attacks, cyber criminals as well, and information operations, towards not just our state but several states," a state official said while outlining the security environment and the strain of declining federal resources.

Finance and operational steps include grants to counties (officials cited more than $5,000,000 distributed to the 39 counties), funding for new dropbox installations (21 new valid locations noted) and messaging campaigns encouraging voters to use dropboxes where feasible. Officials recommended voters mail ballots early if mail is their only option and encouraged counties to continue testing local mail-processing times.

In question-and-answer, county canvass processes were described: when a ballot bears a postmark after election day, counties initially challenge and then present the ballot to the county canvass board (auditor, legislative chair, prosecuting attorney) for a final determination. Officials said USPS does not provide parcel-level tracking for standard collection boxes, which complicates precise attribution of who mailed a late ballot.