When third-year architecture major Megan Conte did not receive her absentee ballot in time for the election, she felt frustrated and powerless. Pennsylvania native Conte said she did everything right and should have received her ballot on time.
Conte is one of several Northeastern students who received their ballots too late or did not receive them at all for the 2024 election.
Matt Rock, a fourth-year computer engineering major, never received his North Carolina ballot.
However, mail delays have not only impacted students at Northeastern but Boston residents across the city.
For several months, Bostonians have been experiencing mail delays, and irritations have reached a boiling point. In October, multiple residents wrote to their city councilors about how the delays have impacted them, especially in the days leading up to the election when many voters had not yet received their mail-in ballots.
“I submitted the application probably a week or two before the deadline and even followed up with them,” Conte said. “They told me that it would arrive on [Oct.] 29 by the latest, so when it didn’t arrive in time for the election, I just felt incredibly discouraged.”
As Americans shift toward mail-in voting, the postal system may continue to face hurdles each election cycle, with some ballots slipping through the cracks. Mail-in voting reached a peak in 2020 with 43.25% of votes cast by mail. As of 2022, 31.98% of voters cast their ballots by mail, over double the amount cast by mail 20 years ago, according to ABC.
“It was definitely disheartening in the moment,” Rock said. “You shouldn’t have to go through so many hoops to be able to get a ballot.”
Rock admitted that his vote may not have changed the outcome of the election, but he felt disappointed that he was unable to participate.
“I want so badly to believe in our government and our postal service’s abilities,” Conte said. “I was trying to do everything correctly, so when they weren’t doing the same on their end, I just felt powerless.”
As a result of public frustrations, Boston city councilors launched an investigation into the United States Postal Service to examine causes for the delays.
“Customers who contact our Customer Service Center … will have their concerns documented and a case number assigned,” USPS representative Steve Doherty said in an email to The News. “Unfortunately, this process is of little value when customers choose other avenues, like social media, local elected officials or media outlets to air their grievances. The Postal Service can only address those issues it’s aware of.”
Amid growing concerns, Doherty said USPS remains confident in its “time proven process of handling any customer complaints.”
Members of the Boston City Council invited USPS Boston Postmaster Joshua Balcunas to testify in a public hearing Oct. 8 to “discuss inadequate delivery services by the United States Postal Service within Mission Hill and other Boston neighborhoods,” according to the order for summons offered by City Councilors Sharon Durkan and Liz Breadon.
Balcunas declined to testify. As a result, the City Council moved to subpoena Balcunas Oct. 9.
“Given the need for immediate action to ensure that the residents and businesses of
all communities in Boston receive the postal services they are entitled to under federal law, and the lack of consideration shown by USPS to this body, an emergency declaration is hereby necessary to expedite the filing and deliberation on this order,” councilors wrote in the order for summons.
In response, USPS lawyer Nathan Solomon sent a letter stating, “The request for testimony does not comply with applicable federal regulations,” according to NBC10 Boston.
The Boston City Council canceled the scheduled hearing after receiving Solomon’s letter.
Currently, no headway has been made in addressing the city’s mail delays or holding USPS accountable for lost mail and late ballots.
“Our country is really tense and people are really divided, so I think our postal service and the government not being transparent and communicative about what’s going on is causing people to lose faith,” Conte said.
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