The Hound | Oct. 23

Hi there,

It’s Friday. A ProPublica data analysis found that USPS cost-cutting measures have caused ballot rejection rates to double or triple in rural counties across five states. In eastern Washington alone, nearly 2,000 ballots arrived late in 2026 primaries — compared to 600 in 2022. The culprit: a restructuring plan that cut mail pickup frequency in half at rural post offices, delaying postmarks by a day or more. Brookings Institution research projects tens of thousands of ballots could be rejected in the general election.

🖊️ Sign the petition to call on the media to cover the USPS mail service cuts not as a bureaucratic efficiency story, but as a voter suppression story — one that is already rejecting legally cast ballots in seven competitive congressional districts.

With eleven days until Election Day, the public deserves urgent reporting that tells voters in affected areas to use drop boxes, and names who made the decisions that put their votes at risk.

In addition, Texas sheriffs say Gov. Greg Abbott is lying about their endorsements. And an investigation shows how hundreds of U.S. citizens have been detained by ICE.

Read about these, and more, in today’s stories:

Ballot Rejections Soared in Rural Counties After USPS Reduced Mail Service (ProPublica)

Sheriffs Say Greg Abbott Is Lying About Their Endorsements (The New Republic)

Investigation finds hundreds of U.S. citizens detained by ICE (PBS)

Has Partisan Gerrymandering Backfired in Florida? (Mother Jones)

Pete Hegseth has reportedly given DHS permission to test ‘heat ray’ for use at US-Mexico border (The Guardian)

Food Access Organizers See Empty Promises from MAHA (Civil Eats)

Where Opposition to Data Centers and Renewable Energy Projects Converge (Inside Climate News)

Until next time,

Harry from The Hound

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