Atlantic County Clerk Joseph Giralo has filed amended results for the 2026 primary election after the county Board of Elections counted 24 vote-by-mail ballots that had been withheld by the United States Postal Service over a disputed bill.
The ballots were opened and counted on July 14 after the Board of Elections unanimously rejected Deputy Attorney General Andrew Hedin’s advice to exclude them for arriving after the statutory deadline to cure defective ballots.
The 24 voters had corrected technical defects in their ballots, which were postmarked between May 18 and June 10. But the Postal Service did not deliver the cure forms to county election officials, citing an alleged $66,000 debt dating back to 2020.
“These cure forms were submitted correctly and received timely by USPS in complete compliance with New Jersey law,” said Giralo. “The actions by USPS to withhold the associated ballots from being counted could have resulted in 24 legitimate Atlantic County voters being disenfranchised had we not intervened.”
The Board of Elections counted the ballots but initially withheld the results while awaiting guidance from the state on how to amend the county’s certified primary election results.
The new votes don’t affect the outcome of any races in the June 2 Democratic and Republican primaries.
Giralo said the amended results will be posted on the county clerk’s website and sent to the New Jersey Secretary of State for acceptance.
Giralo worked with members of the Board of Elections from both parties to ensure every vote was counted.
“Working together, we addressed this situation quickly and justly to best serve the people of Atlantic County,” Giralo stated. “We are committed to ensuring the integrity of the election process. Not even the United States Postal Service is going to interfere with the right of our citizens to vote.”
A spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service, Xavier Hernandez, disputed the county’s claim despite the facts involved.
“Local postal management report that no mail was held for insufficient or unpaid postage at the local post office,” Hernandez said. “Local postal officials have contacted the Atlantic County Clerk’s office to request additional information and will continue to work with them to address their concerns”
Hernandz said the postal service “has successfully delivered America’s election mail, and we are confident that we will do so again this year.”
“We rely on longstanding, robust and tested policies and procedures, which have proven successful in the secure and timely delivery of election mail,” he said.