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The plot to disrupt mail-in voting

A new whistleblower report warns that Trump’s mail-in voting requirements could cause chaos in the midterm elections.

This story appeared in Today, Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day. Subscribe here.

It took the US government two years to roll out HealthCare.gov, nine months to pilot a direct tax-filing tool…and just 11 weeks to build a new system for processing Americans’ absentee ballots.

Before you cheer this rare instance of bureaucratic efficiency, however, please allow the other shoe to drop: That figure comes from an alarming new whistleblower report that foretells potential chaos in this fall’s midterm elections.

A daily, curiosity-driven guide to the big, weird, and fascinating ideas shaping the news cycle.

According to the whistleblower, the US Postal Service has rushed out a janky, error-prone processing system in its mad dash to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order on mail-in ballots. That order, currently paused, would require states to comply with new rules for preparing, tracking, and mailing ballots. Several states have........

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