USPS sends letter to election officials detailing how they will deliver absentee ballots on time

PALMETTO, Ga. — Channel 2 consumer investigator Justin Gray has obtained a letter sent to election officials in Georgia detailing steps the U.S. Postal Service says it will take to ensure that absentee ballots are delivered correctly and on time.

“If you’ve mailed it in the last few days, there is a concern,” said Georgia Secretary of State Chief Operating Officer Gabriel Sterling.

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For months now, Channel 2 Action News has shown you the problems at the mail processing facility for metro Atlanta in Palmetto.

Mail backlogged, new systems designed to be more efficient failing and even a mail sorting machine spewing packages and mail onto the floor.

Now, Gray has obtained a letter sent this week to the Secretary of State by the Postal Service detailing emergency efforts to get absentee ballots out of Palmetto and into the hands of county election offices by Election Day.

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The Postal Service said in the letter that Georgia facilities will be doing a daily “all-clear certification” checking for any election mail, will be adding special drop-off times at election offices and are bringing in extra inspectors from other states to conduct election mail inspections.

“There are some very actionable, good things that are happening here. We need to have more of it. I wish we had it sooner, but we are where we are,” Sterling said. “In the last 18 days, they’ve deployed about 100 to 150 additional employees.”

But it could be too little, too late for some ballots.

The Secretary of State’s Office said if your ballot is not showing up as accepted on the state’s My Voter page by Monday, you should make plans to vote in person.

You can also hand deliver an absentee ballot to the county election office on Monday or Tuesday.

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