HOUSTON – A Houston couple says they never received their mail-in ballots and blames the Postal Service for the problem.
“This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. The issue of the mail of this country being compromised affects all of us,” Janice Rubin said.
Janice Rubin and her husband Charles Wiese are still waiting for their ballots.
The couple spoke to reporter Re’Chelle Turner and during the interview, the mail carrier showed up to their Meyerland home.
“So, I got the mail today but no ballot. It’s only six weeks late,” Janice said.
The couple requested a mail-in ballot at the beginning of January from the Harris County Clerk’s Office. The clerk’s office mailed them out at the end of January, but Janice and Charles never received them.
After waiting for over a month, they ended up casting a provisional ballot at the Bayland Community Center on Tuesday. They also helped a 95-year-old friend who never received his ballot.
“We haven’t gotten our ballot. We know other people who haven’t gotten their ballots. When I called the county clerk’s office the person, I talked to on two occasions said they had spoken to other people who haven’t gotten their ballots either and I think the problem is with the postal system,” Rubin said.
Turner reached out to the Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth. The office said, “The Elections Department has no control over the US Post Office delivery timelines. The postal service’s policy is to deliver mail-in ballots, even if they have insufficient postage.”
Turner asked the couple if they believe their ballots may be sitting at one of the sorting facilities.
“I have no idea. That’s the thing those ballots are not sent with tracking we don’t know the path the mail has traveled anything is possible,” Charles Wiese said.
The couple says the issues fall back on United Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
“It’s very concerning because you want to trust the mail and you also want to trust that our ability in a free and fair election are not compromised,” Rubin said.
Turner reached out to DeJoy and is waiting for a response. She also reached out to the Postal Service for a statement about the mail-in ballots. The Clerk’s office shared helpful information for voters ahead of the Primary election.
If a voter cannot mail their ballot on time, they can drop it off in person at 1001 Preston St. from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 5 to an elections clerk. Voters must present a valid ID when dropping off their mail-in ballot.
A voter may vote in person even if they applied for a Vote by Mail ballot, but they can only vote once.
Voters voting by mail can always check or track their ballot at https://www.harrisvotes.com/Voter/Vote-by-Mail/Mail-Ballot-Tracking or by calling our office at 713-755-6965.
If voters decide they no longer want to vote by mail, they can take their mail ballot to a vote center on Election Day, surrender it, and receive a regular ballot. If they do not have the mail ballot with them, the voter may still vote in person using a provisional ballot.
More information about voting by mail can be found at www.harrisvotes.com
UPDATE: The United States Postal Service emailed Turner a statement on Friday:
USPS Response:
The U.S. Postal Service is committed to the secure, timely delivery of the nation’s Election Mail. We are committed to fulfilling our role in the electoral process when public policy makers choose to utilize us as a part of their election system. We provide election officials with a secure, efficient, and effective means to enable citizens to participate in elections. We have been working closely with local election officials, including in Texas, including regular meetings and touchpoints, to meet that goal. The Postal Service employs a robust and proven process to ensure proper handling of all Election Mail, including ballots.
Regarding Harris County, we are unaware of late ballots. While the Postal Service is currently experiencing some service issues in the region, all Election Mail, including ballots, is delivered daily with facilities clear of both Election and Political Mail.
Regarding the request from the customer referenced, without full information, we are unable to comment further.
The 650,000 women and men of the Postal Service are deeply committed to our longstanding role in the electoral process, and we are actively working to deliver in this election season, as we have successfully done in previous elections, documented in final reports for 2020, 2021 and 2022, posted here: https://www.usps.com/votinginfo
Regarding the delivery of ballots between now and next Tuesday, here are our voter recommendations: For voters eligible to vote by mail who choose to do so, the Postal Service recommends they should plan ahead to provide enough time to complete and return their ballot by their state’s deadlines.
For domestic, nonmilitary voters who choose to use the mail to return a completed ballot, our general recommendation is that, as a common-sense measure, voters should mail their completed ballot before Election Day, and at least one week before the deadline by which their completed ballot must be received by their local election official. Some states may recommend allowing even more time for mailing completed ballots. Voters should always check to make sure they understand their state’s requirements and recommendations on mailing their completed ballot. Voters can look for information about state’s requirements and recommendations here: Find your state election website.