U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-VA, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, says he’s concerned about continuing threats against election workers, which often arise from misinformation about voter fraud.
Warner is also aware of continuing complaints about slow mail delivery and said he will be closely monitoring any complaints related to delays involving mail-in ballots, which could affect the upcoming election.
Secretaries of state told a congressional panel in Washington this week that they have dealt with a wide range of threats during the election season.
“Right now, we are enduring unrelenting harassment and threats,” said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson before the House Administration Committee. “People have come to my home, they have threatened me, my staff and many of the hundreds of clerks and elections officials in our state.”
Warner added that unfounded claims about voter fraud often come from an important figure that isn’t helping the situation — former President Donald Trump.
The Virginia lawmaker noted that many election workers are volunteers who are simply making a commitment to their community and democracy.
“The fact that they’re taking the level of abuse that they are is reprehensible,” he told WTOP. “I think those who interfere in the process, those who abuse our election officials, ought to be pursued to the full extent of the law.”
Warner said he will be monitoring any complaints related to threats against election workers in the weeks leading up to Nov. 5, Election Day.
Secretaries of state worried about delivery of mail-in ballots
Warner often receives complaints from constituents in Virginia about major delays in mail delivery and he said lawmakers have been trying to make sure the U.S. Postal Service is prepared for the surge in mailed ballots this fall.
He noted they have pressed U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy “repeatedly” on the issue.
“We cannot have any screw-ups this election season,” Warner said. “I’m going to trust, but verify, but I think he understands that.”
Warner said sending out ballots and getting them returned needs to be treated like first-class or priority mail. First-class mail generally takes three to five days to deliver.
Many election officials have urged people to mail in their ballots at least five days before any deadlines, in order to ensure they arrive in time.
“We are going to monitor this literally on a weekly basis,” Warner said.
This week, the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors sent a letter to DeJoy, warning that persistent problems with the mail threatens to disenfranchise voters.
“We implore you to take immediate and tangible, corrective action to address the ongoing performance issues with USPS election mail service,” the letter said.
The U.S. Postal Service has said it is well prepared for the election and that mail is currently being delivered in 2.7 days on average.
USPS has said that nearly 98% of ballots were returned to election officials within three days in 2020.
Alabama became the first state to begin sending out mail-in ballots for the 2024 election this week.
In Virginia, the deadline for registered voters to apply for a ballot to be mailed to them is Oct. 25. Early in-person voting begins in Virginia on Sept. 20.
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