A federal judge previously blocked implementation of parts of the order, while subsequent court proceedings, including action by the US Supreme Court, have left the legal status of some provisions subject to continuing litigation.(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) A federal whistleblower has raised concerns that a new US Postal Service system designed to process mail ballots could face serious technical problems ahead of the November midterm elections, potentially affecting millions of voters. The disclosure, made public by Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, alleges that the USPS moved rapidly to develop an online portal intended to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order imposing new requirements on mail-in voting. According to the whistleblower, development of the Federal Ballot Mail Portal began in June, with the system targeted for launch on September 1. The official warned that the compressed timeline left insufficient time for comprehensive testing before multiple states were expected to begin using it. Attorneys representing the whistleblower through Whistleblower Aid said the rushed development could create significant risks for voters, including delays in receiving requested mail ballots or ballots not being sent at all. One of the concerns highlighted in the disclosure involves the system’s barcode-verification process. The whistleblower alleges that the USPS has adopted a policy under which a single barcode-scanning failure could cause an entire batch of ballots to be rejected and returned to state election officials for correction. Such batches could contain up to 10,000 ballots, according to the disclosure. The whistleblower further claimed that voters might not be notified if their requested ballots were rejected during the process. The federal official also alleged that internal testing of the system had been inadequate, with less than a week reportedly allocated for testing before the planned implementation. The disclosure characterised the preparations as highly rushed and warned of the possibility of widespread disruption. The development comes amid an ongoing legal battle over Trump's executive order on mail-in voting. The order introduced new requirements concerning voter eligibility records and mail-ballot procedures, prompting challenges from states and election officials. A federal judge previously blocked implementation of parts of the order, while subsequent court proceedings, including action by the US Supreme Court, have left the legal status of some provisions subject to continuing litigation. Blumenthal has asked Postmaster General David Steiner to explain how the new portal was developed, how extensively it has been tested and how the USPS plans to prevent problems from affecting voters. In a letter accompanying the disclosure, Blumenthal urged the Postal Service to abandon the planned implementation, arguing that voters must be able to exercise their right to cast ballots by mail without disruption. With the midterm elections approaching, the allegations have intensified scrutiny of the USPS's preparations and the potential impact of technical failures on voters who rely on mail ballots. Working as Copy Editor at the Business Desk of Times Now Digital. Dedicated towards crafting interesting financial stories. Previously covered financi... View More