New clash over mail voting: The cost of the postage

WASHINGTON — The Senate’s highest-ranking Democrat assailed the Postal Service on Tuesday for what he said was an effort to jack up the cost to states of mail-in voting, a new line of criticism in the escalating dispute over ensuring Americans can vote safely this fall in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, said the Postal Service under the postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, a major donor to the Trump campaign, had “informed some states that they may need to pay a first-class rate to deliver ballots rather than the normal rate — nearly tripling the cost.”

At issue is whether states choose to categorize their mail-in ballots as first-class mail or marketing mail, the latter of which carries about onethird of the cost but gets lower priority.

“At a time when people will have to vote by mail in record numbers because they can’t or won’t go vote in person, the postmaster general is saying we should triple the rate of cost to vote by mail?”

Schumer said. “What a despicable derogation of democracy.”

Schumer suggested that DeJoy, who took over the post office in May, had no relevant experience for the job and was a Republican donor carrying out a political agenda.

“If anyone had any thought that this postmaster general was on the level, it’s now dispensed,” Schumer said.

The Postal Service responded that DeJoy had merely been suggesting to local elections officials how they could most efficiently carry out a vote-bymail election, not mandating increased costs.