Rosen, Cortez Masto Demand Investigation of USPS’s Failure to Deliver Mail Ballots from Lyon and Douglas Counties

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) sent a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner and United States Postal Service (USPS) Inspector General Tammy Hull demanding they thoroughly investigate a recent incident in which more than 30 mail-in ballots from Douglas and Lyon counties were not counted after being inexplicably marked as undeliverable.

"On July 6, 2026, weeks after the conclusion of Nevada's June Primary election, the Nevada Secretary of State's Office received an envelope from USPS's Mail Recovery Center containing 32 completed individual ballots intended for the Lyon County Clerk/Treasurers' Office. Similarly, on July 15, 2026, our Secretary of State's Office received two mail ballots intended to be delivered to the Douglas County Clerk-Treasurer's Office. Each ballot was inexplicably marked by USPS as undeliverable and, therefore, unable to be counted-despite being correctly addressed to their respective county clerk's office and postmarked in a timely manner," the Senators began.

"Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. Nevada's universal mail ballots system makes voting more accessible and is popular across party lines in both rural and urban counties. Since 2022, over 80 percent of voters have used mail-in ballots in Nevada in a safe and secure way. Errors of this magnitude are incredibly rare, making USPS's failure to deliver lawful and correctly addressed ballots even more disturbing," they continued.

"To ensure mail ballots in the upcoming midterm elections and in all future elections reach their destination, as is required by federal law, USPS must expedite their review of these incidents and publicize the results of their investigation. Accordingly, we request USPS brief our offices by August 17, 2026, about the investigation and the solutions the agency will implement to prevent future errors in Nevada and across the country. We also request USPS OIG to report to our offices as to whether an independent OIG investigation is appropriate no later than August 1, 2026," they concluded.

The full text of the letter can be found HERE.

Senators Rosen and Cortez Masto have consistently worked to ensure that all Nevadans can vote in the manner that works best for them, including voting by mail. Both Senators successfully fought to prevent USPS from relocating outgoing first class letter mail processing operations from Reno, Nevada to Sacramento, California, which would have jeopardized the on-time delivery of mail ballots. They are committed to continuing to protect Reno's local mail processing operations. Both Senators have urged USPS not to implement President Trump's illegal executive order that would restrict voting by mail and have joined legislation to protect mail voting against executive overreach.

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