Rejected mail ballots have surged in Washington and Oregon following recent changes to U.S. Postal Service operations, with thousands of votes discarded for late postmarks during the states’ 2026 primary elections. In Washington’s August primary, the number of late-postmarked ballots rose 32% compared to 2024, reaching 20,267 ballots, while Oregon saw a 35% increase in rejected ballots during its May primary, with 7,314 ballots discarded for arriving after Election Day.
The spike is most pronounced in rural counties, where voters lack easy access to ballot drop boxes and rely on mail delivery. In Stevens County in northeastern Washington, the rate of rejected ballots for late postmarks quadrupled. Mason County saw a 329.7% increase in the rate of late-postmarked ballot rejections between 2024 and 2026, while Yakima County experienced a 268.5% increase.
The root cause traces to a U.S. Postal Service rule finalized in December that redefined how ballots are postmarked. Under the new policy, postmarks are applied at regional processing centers rather than at local post offices, and mail from post offices more than 50 miles away from these facilities is transported only once per day instead of twice. This consolidation, intended to save the struggling agency billions of dollars, means ballots can take days to reach a processing facility—even if dropped in a mailbox on or before Election Day.
Stevens County Auditor Lori Larsen received 547 ballots with late postmarks on August 7, three days after the primary during the state’s grace period for ballot arrival. “That is a number that suggests that many, if not all, of those folks thought they were timely delivering their ballot into USPS custody,” Larsen said. Her office is now rushing to double its secure ballot drop boxes from five to 10.
In Yakima County, local mail is now routed to a processing center in Spokane—about 200 miles away—before being returned, according to county Auditor Charles Ross. “If you’re in one of these rural areas like where we live and you put your ballot in the post office box three days before the election, and if you live in Seattle or Spokane and you put your ballot in the same blue box three days before the election—there’s a high likelihood that those two ballots are going to be treated differently,” Ross said.
Washington Senator Maria Cantwell and Secretary of State Steve Hobbs have called the situation voter suppression, pointing out that the postal changes disproportionately affect rural counties that backed President Trump. USPS mail ballots arriving late, getting tossed ahead of midterms has become a widespread concern across multiple states. A USPS whistleblower warned that the rushed mail ballot system could reject ballots before the midterms, citing internal concerns about delays.
Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read is requesting emergency state funding to install 20 new ballot drop boxes in underserved areas and implement an opt-in statewide ballot tracking system. Washington has already spent about $300,000 to reimburse counties for adding 21 drop boxes this year. The USPS has advised voters to mail ballots at least one week before the deadline and noted that anyone can request a free manual postmark at a post office retail counter to ensure same-day marking.
The legal battle over mail voting continues, with postal voting blocked as Trump’s mail ballot rule faces Supreme Court challenge. A federal judge has repeatedly blocked the Trump administration’s executive order seeking to restrict mail-in voting, though the administration has appealed to the Supreme Court.
Sources
- U.S. News & World Report / Associated Press — Washington and Oregon ballot rejection data, USPS consolidation details, rural county impacts, and state responses
- KOIN 6 News — Washington rejection rate increases by county, Senator Cantwell and Secretary Hobbs press conference, USPS policy details and response statement
- KPTV — Oregon rejection rate data showing 35% increase, Secretary of State Read’s emergency funding request
