Broward County Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott is urging residents to vote early in person rather than rely on mail‑in ballots after a surge of complaints that ballots are being delayed by the United States Postal Service.
Mail‑in ballots stuck in transit
Scott said his office has received numerous reports from voters who never received the vote‑by‑mail ballots they requested. Others who mailed completed ballots back say tracking data shows the envelopes lingering at Postal Service facilities instead of reaching the elections office.
One voter, 73‑year‑old Joseph Baptiste, expressed his frustration: “I’m 73 years old now. I came in to this country when I was 23. I have never seen anything like that.”
Early voting recommended
Because the delays appear widespread, Scott is recommending that voters take advantage of early‑voting locations to avoid the risk of their ballots being lost or held up. “The Postal Service, the quality of the service, has just dropped tremendously,” he said.
He cited a recent incident in which a large batch of ballots from Hallandale Beach was discovered sitting at a postal facility for about a week before being forwarded.
Similar issues in neighboring counties
Monroe County Supervisor of Elections Sherri Hodies confirmed that her office is also seeing problems, with vote‑by‑mail ballots returning from several states—including Missouri, Minnesota, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Virginia—either delayed or not arriving at all.
“It is many of the states, and we don’t know if it is happening on their side or if it is happening on our side,” Hodies said.
Efforts to get answers
Scott said his team has been in contact with Postal Service officials but has struggled to obtain a clear explanation. “You don’t really get any answers because they don’t really have the ability to tell us what is really going on,” he noted, adding that a lack of transparency appears to be a key factor.
Local Postal Service representatives told NBC6 that the concerns have been escalated to the Postal Inspection Service headquarters in Washington, D.C.
How to track your ballot
Voters who have already requested a mail‑in ballot can check its status through the following links:
Scott encourages anyone who can safely travel to a polling site to take advantage of early‑voting hours, which run from Monday, October 30 through Saturday, November 4 at designated locations throughout the county.
By voting early in person, Broward residents can help ensure their voices are heard and that the upcoming election results reflect the will of the community, despite the current challenges with the national mail system.
Original reporting: NBC6 Miami — read the source article.
