States: Undo post office changes
On-time deliveries are down, motion states
SEATTLE — A group of states including Nevada that’s suing over service cuts at the U.S. Postal Service is asking a federal judge to immediately undo some of them, saying the integrity of the upcoming election is at stake.
Postmaster General Louis Dejoy has already said he’s halting some of the changes, including the removal of distinctive blue mailboxes and of sorting machines at some processing facilities.
However, two remain in effect, the states argue, noting the Postal Service is no longer treating election mail as the equivalent of first class mail, and the so-called leave behind policy requires that postal trucks leave at certain times, whether or not there is additional mail to load.
In a motion filed in U.S. District Court in Yakima, Washington, late Wednesday, the 14 states — including the election battlegrounds of Nevada, Michigan and Wisconsin — said mail delays have eased since the service cuts created a national uproar in July, but on-time deliveries remain well below their prior levels, meaning millions of pieces of mail that would otherwise arrive on time no longer are
That’s troubling as millions more voters are expected to vote by mail
this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the states said.
The states, led by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, asked Judge Stanley A. Bastian to order the Postal Service to treat election mail, including ballots and registration forms, as first class mail, ensuring it is delivered promptly; end the “leave behind” policy; and replace or reinstall any removed sorting machines needed to ensure timely processing.
Postal Service spokesman David
Partenheimer declined to comment Thursday on the states’ motion.
Dejoy is scheduled to meet with the election committee of the National Association of Secretaries of State on Sept. 17, the same day the judge has scheduled oral arguments on the states’ motion.
“The United States Postal Service is fully capable and committed to delivering the nation’s ballots securely and on time,” Partenheimer said in an emailed statement.