On Wednesday, election officials in Butler County PA stated that many voters have yet to receive their requested mail-in ballots. Nearly 40,000 ballots have been requested in the county.
According to the Butler Eagle, an unknown number of mail-in ballots that had been sent to voters by the Butler County Bureau of Elections have been lost by the U.S. Post Office. Elections director Aaron Sheasely stated that he was contacted within the last 24 hours by federal postal officials and that an investigation is underway.
Sheasely is encouraging voters who have yet to receive a mail-in ballot to vote in person. “Those votes will absolutely be counted,” he said.
Butler County commissioners held a press conference just hours ago in which they addressed the issue. The commissioners announced that efforts to expedite the process were underway in the county, including using sheriff’s deputies to deliver ballots in person.
“What we know is that we have received hundreds of calls from voters indicating that they did not receive their ballot in the mail,” Butler County Board of Commissioners Chairman Leslie Osche told Fox News. Osche stated that roughly 21,300 of the 40,000 mail-in ballots issued by the county have yet to be returned.
The U.S. Post Office issued a statement on the matter. “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” A USPS spokesperson told Fox News.
Fox News also stated that USPS did not mention an investigation. Osche also stated that she had yet to hear about an investigation during the press cofnerence.
Butler County is not the first county in Western PA to experience issues with mail-in ballots this election cycle. Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, reported that officials sent upwards of 29,000 incorrect ballots earlier this month. County officials later stated that they were working quickly to correct the issue.
80% of the county voted for Trump in the last presidential election.
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