The survey of 1,280 registered voters, conducted in English and Spanish on Sept. 14‑15, found that while a majority still say they are confident or very confident in timely election‑mail delivery, that share has fallen from 71% in 2024 to 58% in 2025, a level not seen since the height of the COVID‑19 pandemic in fall 2020. The poll carries a margin of error of ±3.8 percentage points.
The poll was released just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision on Sept. 14 blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to use the Postal Service to restrict mail voting for the upcoming midterm elections. The ruling means the USPS will continue its “extraordinary measures” policy, which speeds up the delivery of general‑election ballots beginning a week before Election Day.
In a statement, the Postal Service highlighted that it had delivered more than 233 million pieces of election mail through the end of August, posting an on‑time delivery rate of 97.94%. The agency blamed recent misinformation for the dip in public sentiment, noting that its performance metrics “speak for themselves.”
USPS officials also pointed to a decade‑long, self‑funded restructuring plan launched in 2021 to address declining first‑class mail volumes. A recent Government Accountability Office report said the cost‑cutting measures have lengthened expected delivery times and lowered service‑performance goals the agency has struggled to meet.
The reorganization has had tangible effects on ballot processing. In Washington state, a report by Sen. Maria Cantwell and Secretary of State Steve Hobbs showed that 19 counties saw their rate of ballots rejected for late postmarks more than double in this year’s primary compared with 2024.
The Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General concluded that the network changes have not improved the agency’s financial health and have disproportionately harmed rural customers, risking a perception of inequitable service that could further erode revenue.
Partisan differences remain stark. The poll found 32% of Democratic voters say they will vote by mail in the general election, versus 12% of Republicans and 26% of independents. Conversely, 70% of Republicans believe there is a “great deal” or “good amount” of fraud in mail voting, compared with 18% of Democrats and 32% of independents. President Donald Trump continues to claim, without evidence, that mail voting is “corrupt.”
A 2025 Brookings Institution review, however, found mail‑voting fraud to be exceptionally rare. Overall, 55% of respondents said they believe there is little or no fraud when mail voting is available, and 75% expressed confidence that state or local officials will run a fair and accurate midterm election—a rise from 69% in a March poll.