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A man deposits letters into a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) collection mailbox in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 14, 2020. /Reuters
The U.S. Postal Service is warning states coast to coast that it cannot guarantee all ballots cast by mail for the November election will arrive in time to be counted, even if mailed by state deadlines, raising the possibility that millions of voters could be disenfranchised.
Voters and lawmakers in several states are also complaining that some curbside mail collection boxes are being removed.
In the warning letters sent to states last month, the U.S. Postal Service raised the possibility that many Americans eligible for mail-in ballots this fall will not have them counted.
"State and local election officials must understand and take into account our operational standards and recommended timelines," Postal Service spokeswoman Martha Johnson said.
Election officials are bracing for a deluge of mail ballots as many states have made it easier to vote by mail to address concerns about public gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic.
Vote-by-mail ballots are shown in U.S. Postal service sorting trays the King County Elections headquarters in Renton, Washington, south of Seattle, Aug. 5, 2020. /AP
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized efforts to allow more people to do mail-in ballots, which, without evidence, he argues will lead to increased voter fraud that could cost him the election. However, evidence has shown that mail voting is as secure as any other method.
At the same time that the need for timely delivery of the mail is peaking, service has been curtailed amid cost-cutting and efficiency measures ordered by Louis DeJoy, the new postmaster general, who is a former supply-chain CEO and a financial supporter of Trump and other Republicans. He has implemented measures to eliminate overtime pay and hold mail over if distribution centers are running late.
The U.S. Postal Service's internal watchdog is investigating cost-cutting that has slowed delivery and alarmed lawmakers ahead of a presidential election when up to half of U.S. voters could cast ballots by mail, a congressional aide said.
Letter carriers load mail trucks for deliveries at a U.S. Postal Service facility in McLean, Virginia, July 31, 2020. /AP
Too little time?
The Postal Service has warned some states that allowing voters to request ballots less than a week before the election does not leave enough time to print the ballot, mail it to the voter and have it returned.
Half of the states allow voters to request an absentee ballot within seven days of an election. The Postal Service recommends that mail ballots should be completed and sent in by that point.
Ohio, Michigan and several other states with tight deadlines have so far not pushed them back.
Pennsylvania's secretary of state asked the state Supreme Court to allow ballots to be counted if they are received up to three days after the Nov. 3 election, rather than on Election Day.
The Postal Service's top lawyer, Thomas Marshall, also encouraged election officials to use its first-class mail service to ensure prompt delivery, rather than the cheaper and slower bulk-mail rate.
Marshall told Congress in a letter released Friday "we have ample capacity to handle the increased volume of Election Mail that will occur because of the pandemic."
In past election, the Postal Service has given priority to all political and election mail, no matter the postage rate, according to workers and the service's internal watchdog.
"If this letter aims to backtrack on that collaboration or the promise of prioritization of election mail, that would be very concerning," said Tracy Wimmer, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of State, which oversees elections.
Roughly 0.25% of mail ballots were rejected in 2016 because they arrived too late, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
(With input from agencies)
