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U.S. Post Office Secretary Louis DeJoy has announced that he is on hold on cost-cutting operational changes until after the November election, after days of widespread outcry and claims Donald Trump is deliberately slowing mail to aid his efforts for re-election.
In a statement, DeJoy said he was putting the changes on hold to “avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail.”
There have been reports of widespread mail delays across the United States in recent weeks. United States Postal Service (USPS) workers and Democrats blamed recent changes DeJoy implemented, including reducing overtime and telling workers to leave the mail behind if they wanted to delay them. on the routes.
DeJoy said the changes were necessary to stabilize the cash-strapped agency, but many observers wondered why they were being implemented amid a global pandemic and months before an unprecedented election in which the USPS is likely to play an important role in the transportation of ballots.
Trump said last week that he opposed additional funding for USPS because it would facilitate postal voting.
In a statement Tuesday, DeJoy, a major Republican donor with no previous USPS experience, said post office hours would not change, mail processing facilities would not close, and equipment, including mailboxes, would not be removed. He also said the USPS would continue to approve overtime.
The announcement came after days of scrutiny and the day more than 20 states were due to take legal action to challenge the changes. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also recalled the House of Representatives in Washington to discuss funding for the USPS.
There were protests outside DeJoy’s home last weekend and the Postmaster General is expected to appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on Friday and the House Oversight Committee next week. The USPS inspector general is also reviewing the changes.
USPS has always maintained that it has the ability to deliver election mail in the fall, but many experts have expressed deep concern over whether the reported delays will affect the November election.
Ron Stroman, who resigned his post as USPS number two official in June, told the Guardian last week that making operational changes just months before the election was “a high-risk proposition.”
A record number of Americans are expected to vote by mail this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many states require ballots to arrive at the election officers’ office before the close of polls on election day, regardless of when a voter puts them in the mail, to count. This means that even a one day delay in delivery could leave thousands of people disenfranchised.
USPS has long said that voters should put their ballots in the mail at least a week before election day to make sure they are counted. The USPS recently sent letters to many states highlighting state laws that allow voters to request a ballot within one week of the election, increasing the risk of being denied the right to vote.
State election officials have encouraged voters to submit requests to vote now to ensure as much time as possible to return them this fall. Many officials are also considering expanding official drop boxes, where voters can return their ballots without having to mail them.
DeJoy also announced on Tuesday that he was expanding a working group on election mail with officials across the country.
“The postal service is ready today to handle the volume of election mail it will receive this fall,” he said.
“Even with the challenge of keeping our employees and customers safe and healthy as they operate in the midst of a pandemic, we will deliver countrywide election mail on time and within our well-established service standards. .
Delivery of election mail, DeJoy said, was the agency’s “number one priority”.
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