Name: Orleans registrar: 4,000 mail-in ballot requests sat at post office
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Orleans registrar: 4,000 mail-in ballot requests sat at post office

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AdvertisementOrleans registrar: 4,000 mail-in ballot requests sat at post officeHide TranscriptShow TranscriptSENIOR-RELATED LOCATIONS WERE MOVED BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC. YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED IF THIS AFFECTS YOU. TRAVERS NEW PROBLEMS WITH : MAIL-IN BALLOTS FOR TOMORROW’S ELECTION, THE ORLEANS PARISH REGISTRAR OF VOTERS TELLS WDSU INVESTIGATES 4,000 APPLICATIONS FOR MAIL BALLOTS WERE DISCOVER JULY 1 AT A NEW ORLEANS POST OFFICE. THE REGISTRAR, SANDRA WILSON, SAYS POSTAL WORKERS DELIVERED THEM TO HER OFFICE AT CITY HALL THAT DAY HER STAFF PUT BALLOTS IN THE MAIL TO VOTERS WHO REQUESTED THEM, AND SAYS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DELIVERED IN TIME FOR VOTING BY MAIL. ONE METAIRIE VOTER BROUGHT A SIMILAR PROBLEM TO OUR ATTENTION. SHE’S A CANCER SURVIVOR AND VOTED BY MAIL TO REDUCE HER RISK FROM THE CORONAVIRUS, BUT SHE HAD TO BRING HER BALLOT IN PERSON TO MAKE SURE IT’S COUNTED. &gt;&gt; GOING TO THE POST OFFICE, THEN I HAVE TO GO DOWN TO THE YENNI BUILDING YOU KNOW, IT’S JUST EXTRA. AND THIS WEEK, IT’S NOT LOOKING GOOD IN THE STATE FOR WHERE THE VIRUS IS HEADING. &gt;&gt; YOU CAN READ MUCH MORE ON THIS STORY AT WDSU.COM OR ON OUR FREE NEWS APP TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR SCREEN, THIS IS A SAMPLE BALLOT FOR A VOTER REGISTERED IN ORLEANS PARISH. THE POLLS ARE OPEN 7:00 A.M. TO 8:00 P.M, IF YOU ARE AT THE POLLS AT CLOSING TIME, STAY IN LINE. YOU LEGALLY STILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOT TO CHECK OUT YOUR POLLING LOCATION, WE HAVE A LINK TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE’S WEBSITE ON THE WDSU APP OUR ELECTION COVERAGE BEGINS TOMORROW ON WDSU NEWS THIS MORNING. THROUGHOUT THE DAY ONLINE AND THEN ON AIR WHEN POLLS CLOAdvertisementOrleans registrar: 4,000 mail-in ballot requests sat at post officeThis story has been updated to reflect a response from the U.S. Postal Service sent Saturday, July 11.An Orleans Parish elections official is bringing problems with mail-in absentee voting to light, and Jefferson Parish voters have similar concerns ahead of Saturday’s election. Both issues appear to involve the U.S. Postal Service.Orleans Registrar Sandra Wilson tells WDSU that some 4,000 applications for mail-in ballots were discovered July 1 at a New Orleans post office. She didn’t know how long they had been sitting there, but Wilson says postal workers delivered them to her office at City Hall that day.The registrar’s staff worked overtime to put ballots in the mail to voters whose requests were delayed, Wilson said Thursday. Albert Ruiz, a regional USPS spokesman, said in an email Saturday that ballot applications in New Orleans were held at the post office because of "short-paid postage." The employees involved were brought up to speed on the agency's policies, which Ruiz explained in a subsequent email call for mail-in and absentee ballots to be delivered even if they don't have the correct postage. (Read his full statement below) Mail-in ballots must arrive before 4:30 p.m. Friday to be counted in Saturday’s election, which consists of presidential party primaries, state party contests and a few municipal races. Voters could request a mail-in ballot as late as July 7 – four days before the election. Even if they received a ballot the next day, it would give the post office just two days to get the ballot to the registrar’s office.The unlikelihood of that quick turnaround left Joan Lyles of Metairie with a tough choice. She had sent her request to the Jefferson Parish registrar on June 25, and the envelope with her ballot was postmarked July 4. It arrived late Monday, July 6 – as did a ballot for her husband, John, even though he had sent his application in four days after his wife’s.Joan Lyles is a cancer survivor with mobility limitations. She said she had a difficult choice to make when her physical condition didn’t allow her to go to the post office until Wednesday. Once there, she was told the only way she could be guaranteed that her ballot would arrive by Friday was to pay $26 for expedited mailing. Her husband’s would cost another $26.Lyles chose instead to bring their ballots in person Thursday to the registrar’s office in Elmwood, a trip she had hoped to avoid making as part of an at-risk group with coronavirus case numbers surging. “It’s just extra. And this week, it’s not looking good in the state for where the virus is heading,” Lyles said. Lyles said an employee at the registrar’s office told her they had processed mail-in ballot requests as soon as they were received. The employee added that they could not control how soon the post office gets the ballots to voters, Lyles said.Jefferson Parish Registrar of Voters Dennis DiMarco did not respond to calls with questions about the registrar’s mail-in ballot process. A regional spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service acknowledged the receipt of our questions by email and indicated a response would follow. The Secretary of State says voters can track the status of their ballot online at voterportal.sos.la.gov or by calling their office on the day of the election at 1-800-883-2805.The complete statement from U.S. Postal Service regional spokesman Albert Ruiz:“The Postal Service is committed to delivering Election Mail in a timely manner. We employ a robust and proven process to ensure proper handling of all Election Mail, including ballots. This includes close coordination and partnerships with election officials at the local and state levels."Regarding the elections in Louisiana, we are aware some ballot applications were improperly held due to short paid postage in New Orleans. When this was discovered, the applications were promptly delivered in advance of the election. We have also followed up with the postal employee(s) regarding our policies. "We are not aware of any other service or delivery issues Jefferson Parish.”This story has been updated to reflect a response from the U.S. Postal Service sent Saturday, July 11.An Orleans Parish elections official is bringing problems with mail-in absentee voting to light, and Jefferson Parish voters have similar concerns ahead of Saturday’s election. Both issues appear to involve the U.S. Postal Service.AdvertisementOrleans Registrar Sandra Wilson tells WDSU that some 4,000 applications for mail-in ballots were discovered July 1 at a New Orleans post office. She didn’t know how long they had been sitting there, but Wilson says postal workers delivered them to her office at City Hall that day.The registrar’s staff worked overtime to put ballots in the mail to voters whose requests were delayed, Wilson said Thursday. Albert Ruiz, a regional USPS spokesman, said in an email Saturday that ballot applications in New Orleans were held at the post office because of "short-paid postage." The employees involved were brought up to speed on the agency's policies, which Ruiz explained in a subsequent email call for mail-in and absentee ballots to be delivered even if they don't have the correct postage. (Read his full statement below) Mail-in ballots must arrive before 4:30 p.m. Friday to be counted in Saturday’s election, which consists of presidential party primaries, state party contests and a few municipal races.Voters could request a mail-in ballot as late as July 7 – four days before the election. Even if they received a ballot the next day, it would give the post office just two days to get the ballot to the registrar’s office.The unlikelihood of that quick turnaround left Joan Lyles of Metairie with a tough choice. She had sent her request to the Jefferson Parish registrar on June 25, and the envelope with her ballot was postmarked July 4. It arrived late Monday, July 6 – as did a ballot for her husband, John, even though he had sent his application in four days after his wife’s.Joan Lyles is a cancer survivor with mobility limitations. She said she had a difficult choice to make when her physical condition didn’t allow her to go to the post office until Wednesday. Once there, she was told the only way she could be guaranteed that her ballot would arrive by Friday was to pay $26 for expedited mailing. Her husband’s would cost another $26.Lyles chose instead to bring their ballots in person Thursday to the registrar’s office in Elmwood, a trip she had hoped to avoid making as part of an at-risk group with coronavirus case numbers surging. “It’s just extra. And this week, it’s not looking good in the state for where the virus is heading,” Lyles said. Lyles said an employee at the registrar’s office told her they had processed mail-in ballot requests as soon as they were received. The employee added that they could not control how soon the post office gets the ballots to voters, Lyles said.Jefferson Parish Registrar of Voters Dennis DiMarco did not respond to calls with questions about the registrar’s mail-in ballot process. A regional spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service acknowledged the receipt of our questions by email and indicated a response would follow. The Secretary of State says voters can track the status of their ballot online at or by calling their office on the day of the election at 1-800-883-2805.The complete statement from U.S. Postal Service regional spokesman Albert Ruiz:“The Postal Service is committed to delivering Election Mail in a timely manner. We employ a robust and proven process to ensure proper handling of all Election Mail, including ballots. This includes close coordination and partnerships with election officials at the local and state levels."Regarding the elections in Louisiana, we are aware some ballot applications were improperly held due to short paid postage in New Orleans. When this was discovered, the applications were promptly delivered in advance of the election. We have also followed up with the postal employee(s) regarding our policies. "We are not aware of any other service or delivery issues Jefferson Parish.”Loading more articles...

AdvertisementOrleans registrar: 4,000 mail-in ballot requests sat at post officeHide TranscriptShow TranscriptSENIOR-RELATED LOCATIONS WERE MOVED BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC. YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED IF THIS AFFECTS YOU. TRAVERS NEW PROBLEMS WITH : MAIL-IN BALLOTS FOR TOMORROW’S ELECTION, THE ORLEANS PARISH REGISTRAR OF VOTERS TELLS WDSU INVESTIGATES 4,000 APPLICATIONS FOR MAIL BALLOTS WERE DISCOVER JULY 1 AT A NEW ORLEANS POST OFFICE. THE REGISTRAR, SANDRA WILSON, SAYS POSTAL WORKERS DELIVERED THEM TO HER OFFICE AT CITY HALL THAT DAY HER STAFF PUT BALLOTS IN THE MAIL TO VOTERS WHO...

Orleans registrar: 4,000 mail-in ballot requests sat at post office

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