EPISODE 4: Is the Mail Ballot War Over?

Episode 4 of the Clear Reception podcast follows the fight over mail-in voting, from Trump’s executive order to a Postal Service rule that could send an entire batch of ballots back to the state over one bad barcode. I get into what the Supreme Court decided and what it left open, a whistleblower’s warning from inside the Postal Service, and a separate postmark change that’s already getting ballots rejected. Plus: the “Paid for by the U.S. Government” Trump ad that aired during NFL games.

Corrections & clarifications: In the episode I said one in 64 Colorado counties don’t use the required barcodes. It’s actually 14 of 64, according to CBS News. And to be clear, the barcode on a return envelope identifies your envelope, not the choices on your ballot.

Available Wherever You Get Your Podcasts
Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube · Amazon Music · iHeartRadio · Deezer · Castbox · Pocketcasts

Show Notes

• Executive Order 14399: Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections - Federal Register
• Ballot Mail for Federal Elections (Postal Service Final Rule) - Federal Register
• Whistleblower disclosure on the Postal Service ballot rule - Sen. Richard Blumenthal
• Supreme Court order blocking the mail ballot rule for the midterms - Supreme Court of the United States
• Supreme Court blocks Trump’s mail-in voting rule for now - NPR
• Election officials on the new mail voting rules, including Colorado’s barcode gap - CBS News
• Election Mail: free manual postmarks and mailing tips - USPS
• Trump’s “Final Battle” ad campaign and government funds - CNN
• Spending on government-funded Trump ads before the midterms - CNBC

Want the full newsletter companion? You can find Longwave Edition #4 here.