United States Postal Service has lost an unknown number of mail-in ballots that were sent to voters ahead of the Nov. 3 election, the bureau of elections director for Butler County, Pennsylvania, said Wednesday, reports The Butler Eagle.
Aaron Sheasely, who serves as Butler County’s elections bureau director, made the announcement regarding the lost ballots during a meeting with county commissioners. Sheasely said USPS officers notified him that an investigation into the matter is underway. It is currently unknown which post office location lost the ballots.
“Regarding mail sorting and delivery in Butler County, the Postal Service is unaware of any significant delays or issues and is in regular contact with the Board of Election as we work to locate and deliver ballots as they are presented to us,” the USPS said in a statement obtained by KDKA.
Sheasley has asked residents who have not received their mail-in ballots to vote in person. “Those votes will absolutely be counted,” he stated.
With six days until Election Day, Pennsylvania’s top elections official on Wednesday urged voters in the presidential battleground state who have one of the roughly one million mail-in ballots outstanding to drop it off in person rather than mail it.
In addition to concerns over Postal Service delays, litigation in front of the U.S. Supreme Court is raising doubts over the timing of the deadline for counties to receive mail-in ballots.
The state Republican Party is asking the court to reinstate an Election Day deadline for receiving ballots, rather than the state court-ordered Nov. 6, three days after the election.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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