The U.S. Post Office Inspector General is investigating a claim of undelivered vote-by-mail ballots in Belleville for the May 12 election.
Mayor Michael Melham said he contacted the post office following reports that people were not receiving their ballots and that the post office denied ballots were missing.
In a post on Twitter on April 24, the mayor included photos of official ballots for the May 12 municipal election that appeared to be left in mail crates in the hallway of the township's senior building.
Melham has been critical of the postal service in the past. "I do not trust democracy in the hands of the United States Postal Service," Melham said.
He said he reached out to the governor's office and the county clerk's office to voice his concerns. "They all assured me they had meetings specifically with the United States Postal Service and regional leadership," he said.
Earlier in April, Melham criticized the post office on Twitter for not sending back ballots during last year's election. He also claimed his campaign literature had been thrown into the street.
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More than 20,000 ballots were sent out to voters in Belleville for this year's election, which is all mail-in because of coronavirus stay-at-home orders.
"There are no polling locations so if you don't get a ballot, you don't get a say," Melham said. "That's why it was paramount that they get it right and they have once again failed."
Four council seats are up for grabs in Belleville's election May 12. Melham is not up for reelection.
George Flood, local spokesman for the USPS, said the service has asked the Office of Inspector General to investigate "potential issues with ballots in Belleville."
"The Postal Service will respond to the OIG findings once the investigation is concluded," Flood said.
Gov. Phil Murphy addressed the issue of undelivered mail during his daily press conference on Monday and Tuesday. He said his office has been in touch with the USPS.
"The administration, including the Department of State, has been engaged with the USPS on specific issues related to delivery and receipt of the ballots for the upcoming election and further dialogue on expanded use of VBM," Murphy's office said in an emailed statement. "Currently, the USPS's Office of the Inspector General is reviewing the incident that occurred in Belleville."
Melham said he contacted Rep. Albio Sires, a Democrat who represents Belleville, about the issue. He thanked Sires for his staff's availability and his "swift action" to address the ballots being left in a lobby.
"Considering the current climate we are all living in as elected officials, I want to reiterate my thanks to Congressman Sires for his friendship and dedication to Bellville," Melham said.
Sires said he authorized his staff to take "whatever corrective measures they needed in order to mitigate" the issue. His staff reached out to the regional office of the USPS and expressed the congressman's "concerns and disappointment" about the ballots being improperly delivered.
"On [April 29], my staff along with Mayor Melham participated in a conference call with the Regional Marketing Manager for the USPS where we were informed that the matter had been given to the Office of the Inspector General of the Post Office for internal investigation," Sires said.
Sires, his staff and Melham had a conference call with an agent from the Office of the Inspector General to brief them on the investigation. Sires and Melham were told someone from the Inspector General's office would reach out to them when the investigation is completed.
"I will continue to monitor this situation and hope for a timely review of this matter," Sires said.
A representative of the Office of the Inspector General, Ebelise Adames, said they were notified about the issue earlier in the week by Northern New Jersey District Postal Management and immediately began an investigation.
"The investigation is ongoing and a report will be submitted to the USPS for action deemed appropriate when the agent completes the investigation," Adames said.
Residents who do not receive a ballot can call the Essex County clerk at 973-621-4921.
Kaitlyn Kanzler covers Essex County for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: kanzler@northjersey.com Twitter: @KaitlynKanzler8
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