Prime Day, early holiday sales create new potential for USPS ballot delivery tie-ups

With millions of mailed ballots already pouring in, early holiday shopping and mega retail events like Amazon’s Prime Day threaten to expose vulnerabilities inside the nation’s mail service, which already is dragging from skyrocketing package volumes.

Amazon’s decision to delay its signature sales event, which ends Wednesday, prompted rivals to reschedule their usual counterprogramming. That means the resulting spike in packages runs up against the Nov. 3 election, adding a new stressor on the U.S. Postal Service as it struggles to reverse service slowdowns that experts and postal workers say could ensnare ballots.