Tallahassee mail issues spark concerns from voters looking to vote-by-mail

Convenience led to Lance Davis voting by mail. Now, in light of persistent delivery issues plaguing Tallahassee, he's unsure if he can trust the U.S. post office.

Davis, an incoming teacher at Montford Middle School, isn't alone. He and others took to Facebook to share his concerns over how to make sure his vote counts this election.

In an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat, Davis said that trusting his ballot to the mail is something he's "not really comfortable with."

Here's why: A late mail-in ballot, as in received after the state's deadline, can mean one's vote not counting.

Since 2018, mail delivery has been a point of contention for many residents, with some letters and packages arriving days or weeks late, if at all. Complaints also include intercepted checks, stolen gift cards and more.

One personal experience with late mail has led Davis to worry: "Last year when we sent out Christmas cards ... we had people that were getting (our) Christmas cards in April."

What does this mean for upcoming elections?

Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley told the Democrat that, while rare in the past, they have experienced issues of "exceptionally late ballots" that look like they have "been around the world."

"We get ballots come in for an election that are weeks or months late," Earley said. "I've certainly seen (ballots) go across the country when they shouldn't ... (it's) like they got sorted wrong ... maybe it was going to Indiana or Oregon instead of to Jacksonville or Orlando."

Earley's hypothesis of improper sorting lines up with the results of recent audits, finding major problems across each of the area's facilities: Delayed mail, improper package scanning, problems with carriers filling out time cards, and dilapidated properties, to name a few.

As for mail-in-ballot requests, Earley said the number has gone down but pinned it on COVID, which led many in recent years to vote by mail. This year, Earley says his office will be sending out 33,000 requested ballots on July 11.

His advice to those who will be choosing the mail-in option this election is to send it as early as possible.

If they want to avoid the mail system altogether, voters can drop off ballots at early-voting drop boxes. That cuts out the USPS as the middle man – and that's how Davis will vote this year.

"It's not just me, it's not just my imagination, it's not an isolated case," Davis said. "It's something that a lot of people are experiencing legitimate concerns about."

Late and lost mail has become a Tallahassee saga

Concerns reached new heights last November when the United States Postal Service said they would conduct facility reviews as part of a 10-year plan for mail service improvement.

The four audit reports of different facilities, which serve several areas across Leon County and parts of the Big Bend, include the Tallahassee Processing and Distribution Facility (PD&F), Westside Station, Lake Jackson Station and Leon Station.

Davis said he saw the audit report for his local post office in Bradfordville. While he doesn't know what the future holds for the station, he said the results were validating.

"It's at least an acknowledgement that there is a problem," Davis said.

Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com or on Twitter/X: @ari_v_otero.