The Postal Service has long delivered ballots. Increasingly, policymakers want it to play a larger role in how ballots are validated and counted episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 19, 2026 · 12 MIN

The Postal Service has long delivered ballots. Increasingly, policymakers want it to play a larger role in how ballots are validated and counted

from The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

The Postal Service has traditionally served as neutral infrastructure during elections, moving ballots from voters to election officials. But changes in election law, postmark requirements and voter verification debates are placing new demands on the agency. Elena (ELL-eh-nah) Patel of the Brookings Institution joins me now to discuss what that shift could mean for the Postal Service and the election system.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 19, 2026

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The Postal Service has long delivered ballots. Increasingly, policymakers want it to play a larger role in how ballots are validated and counted

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