US Postal Service investigating issues with absentee ballots in Wisconsin that went undelivered

The United States Postal Service is conducting an investigation into issues that were reported with the delivery of absentee ballots in Wisconsin, which held its primary election this week despite concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.

The investigation comes after Wisconsin Sens. Ron Johnson, a Republican, and Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, called on the USPS to look into claims absentee ballots that were requested ahead of the election but were never delivered or arrived only after the election had passed.

Johnson and Baldwin sent a letter to the USPS Thursday urging a probe into missing ballots.

"In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an unprecedented increase in requests for absentee ballots, as more and more voters sought to comply with public health guidance and avoid potential risk to their health by avoiding in-person voting," they wrote.

"Unfortunately, there have been numerous accounts from the state that USPS failed to fulfill that critical function for some voters," the senators added.

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The Milwaukee Election Commission also requested an investigation.

A spokesperson for the USPS said in a statement the agency is aware of “potential issues" with absentee ballots in Wisconsin but won't provide further information about the investigation at this point.

"It is important to note that throughout every election cycle, the U.S. Postal Service works with state and local election officials to ensure the timely delivery of Election Mail," the statement reads. "The United States Mail system serves as a secure, efficient and effective means for citizens and campaigns to participate in the electoral process, and the Postal Service is committed to delivering Election Mail in a timely manner."

Voters who showed up to the polls Tuesday reported having requested absentee ballots but never receiving them. State officials said tubs of them were discovered in a mail processing center. In one part of Milwaukee, officials reported that 100 or more ballots a day were returned as undelivered in the week leading up to the election. 

Other ballots were processed and sent to clerks without postmarks, posing the question of whether ballots received after the postmark deadline will be counted even if they were mailed on time. 

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Wisconsin held its election this week after days of back-and-forth over whether in-person voting should be allowed to continue in light of the dangers of person-to-person transmission of coronavirus. The eve of the election, the state's Supreme Court overturned Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' attempt to postpone voting until June. The United States Supreme Court also ruled against expanding absentee voting.

President Donald Trump said he favored the court decisions not to expand absentee ballots in Wisconsin and decried the practice of mail-in voting, pushing for voter ID laws. He claimed multiple times, without providing evidence, that allowing mail-in voting leaves elections open to rampant fraudulent activity. A study by the Brennan Center found incidents of overall voter fraud to "extraordinarily rare." 

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Despite that Trump acknowledged he voted in Florida's primary election this year by mail, the president said absentee ballots for senior citizens, military members and others who can't vote in person are different than "100% Mail-In Voting, which is 'RIPE for FRAUD,' and shouldn't be allowed."

Contributing: Joey Garrison of USA TODAY, and The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel