HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — According to the Harris County Clerk’s Office, since early voting kicked off on Tuesday, more than 46,000 Harris County voters have voted in person and by mail, but we’re learning that the ongoing USPS mail delays are impacting some mail-in ballots.
A Houston-area woman said she and her husband still haven't received their mail-in ballot despite having sent in their application over a month ago. They believe the problem lies with the post office and its months-long mail delay issues.
"It's like a complete black hole of information and there's no way to track them,” said Janice Rubin.
This comes after the U.S. Postal Service told several congress members on Thursday that service was steadily being restored to the Houston-area sorting facilities, but for long-time customers like Janice, it's questionable.
"It doesn't feel like a safe way to vote right now, given the inadequacy of the current structure of the post office,” she said.
Rubin said the Harris County Clerk’s Office advised them to re-apply, but she's worried time is running out. She said she, her husband and their 95-year-old friend, who she says also hasn't received his mail-in ballot, feel they have no choice, but to vote in person.
“Not everybody is able to do that," said Rubin. "Not every 95-year-old person has someone who is willing to pick them up and drive them to the polls."
Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said she fully understands issues like Rubin's and is taking the concerns seriously. She shared USPS held a statewide call Friday morning with all county elections administrators and informed them they were designating a main USPS contact for every county and city.
"Voters should know we don't have control over the USPS system, but the fact that the call took place today and we're beginning to get direct contacts in our counties to be in close contact with is very important and is a step in the right direction as we approach election day,” said Hudspeth.
She said she hoped the streamlined communication would help quickly resolve any mail-in ballot-related issues.
"We are watching this around the clock, Hudspeth said. "We're working throughout the weeks and weekends to be sure every application and mail ballot that we receive and send out is being processed in real-time."
In the meantime, Hudspeth provided other options for voters, including curbside voting, which she said is available at any of the 79 early voting locations, and on Election Day as well.
"By law, there is a curbside buzzer and curbside designation for voters who may have challenges going inside the polling location,” she said.
Hudspeth also encourages voters to check out the mail ballot tracking system.
"On there, you can put your name and information and identify whether we've received your application, whether your mail ballot has been sent, or whether we've received your mail ballot back,” said Hudspeth.
For more information, visit Harrisvotes.com or call the election hotline at 713-755-6965.
Early voting ends March 1 and Election Day is March 5.
Are you having issues with the post office? Send an email to mailproblems@khou.com and let us know. You can see our coverage of delays at Houston-area USPS processing centers on KHOU.com/PostalProblems.