Some Maryland voters recently went to check their mailbox in the morning and found an interesting surprise. Far from being some scented letter of dubious origin or a gift from a neighbor, what they saw was none other than their ballot for the 2020 presidential election, which arrived two years later.
The event took place in the city of Baltimore, the most populous city in the state, when the citizens themselves revealed this delay of almost 730 days later.
“I received my 2020 General Election ballot on August 6, 2022. And then it just never came, so then I had to call the Board of Elections and then I had to go in-person to get a replacement,” Nick Frisone said, a voter who contacted WMAR-2 News after receiving his ballot.
Frisone was not alone, as his many neighbors in the Highlandtown neighborhood also received their ballot in the mail late.
“Regarding ballots seen in photographs from a customer’s email, the Postal Service discovered a tray of undelivered mail in a Baltimore facility on Friday, Aug. 5. The tray’s mail was from year 2020 and contained what appeared to be 26 blank ballots mailed from the Baltimore City Board of Election to addresses with a Baltimore ZIP Code. Those mailpieces were delivered Saturday, Aug. 6,” the statement drafted by USPS spokesman Tom Ouellette says.
“We deeply regret the late delivery of these mailpieces. The Postal Service takes these issues very seriously and is working to help avoid issues like this by going over our processes and procedures with all employees ahead of the general elections. The U.S. Postal Service is fully committed to the secure, timely delivery of the nation’s Election Mail. We are in close communication with the Baltimore City Election Board and look forward to a successful election in November,” the missive also says.
In the last primary, one-third of the votes came in by mail in Baltimore City, but Nick Frosinone has no doubts about how he will vote in the upcoming election. “It’s supposed to be easy to vote this way, but when the post office misplaces them, we can’t. I mean, if there’s another pandemic, I’ll get a hazmat suit and just go in-person,” the voter noted.
Joaquín Núñez es licenciado en comunicación periodística por la Universidad Católica Argentina. Se especializa en el escenario internacional y en la política nacional norteamericana. Confeso hincha de Racing Club de Avellaneda. Contacto: [email protected] // Joaquín Núñez has a degree in journalistic communication from the Universidad Católica Argentina. He specializes in the international scene and national American politics. Confessed fan of Racing Club of Avellaneda. Contact: [email protected]