USPS Inspector General Audit Finds New Jersey Primary Ballots Went Off Course
A federal audit found New Jersey primary ballots went off course and recommended continuous pallet tracking.
Mail-in ballots for New Jersey’s June primary traveled hundreds of miles off course before the problem was detected, according to a federal audit that identified a gap in how the U.S. Postal Service tracks pallets of ballots moving through its network.
The limited review documented a handling and tracking failure after the ballots entered the postal network in Trenton but did not establish an effect on the primary result. Federal auditors recommended continuous tracking of entire ballot-mail pallets, a change relevant to New Jersey voters preparing to vote by mail in the November 3 general election.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General issued its final audit report on September 4. The report examines election-mail operations during the 2026 primaries and describes separate corrective actions the U.S. Postal Service scheduled before November.