If you haven't mailed your ballot yet, return it in person, experts say

It's getting too late to trust the USPS with your ballot, election administration and postal experts tell The Washington Post.

In this mid-coronavirus election season, millions more Americans than usual have turned to early voting and absentee ballots to avoid going to busy polls on Election Day. But while mail-in ballots should still be accepted through Election Day, postal delays and court decisions suggest dropping them off in person is a better option to ensure your ballot is counted.

The United States Postal Service insists it's doing everything it can to prioritize ballots as Election Day draws near. During the week of Oct. 16, it delivered 95.6 percent of completed ballots on time to election officials, data shows. But the USPS can sometimes miss mail it should be identifying as ballots, complicating both this data and the speed with which it's delivering those ballots. In addition, even though some states' court orders have pushed the USPS to pick up its pace, service levels haven't been restored, the Post reports.

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So if you haven't asked for a ballot yet — or requested one, but haven't gotten it — forget about mailing it back. "I don't care about the legal deadline; it's just too late in terms of getting it processed, getting it mailed to you and you being able to fill it out and return it," said David Becker, executive director at the nonprofit, nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research. "At this point, if you haven't requested a mail ballot yet, plan to vote in person and vote early, if possible."

The recommendation comes after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected Wisconsin's move to extend its deadline for accepting absentee ballots — and has influenced Joe Biden's campaign to advise submitting ballots in person as well. Read more at The Washington Post.