More mail-in ballots are being tossed for lateness than before—an ominous warning ahead of November’s elections.

The U.S. Postal Service's capability could be what decides the November elections.

Election officials are sounding alarm bells that the snail-mail service may not be fit to handle the volume of mail-in ballots this midterm cycle. An analysis published Monday by The New York Times revealed that more mail-in ballots were tossed in 2026 and 2025 than in other years.

The Times examined some of the most heavily contested battlegrounds in 12 states---California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington---and found that ballots were discarded for lateness at a higher rate than previously recorded.