USA TODAY International Edition
Opposing View: We’re applying lessons from election, holidays
The United States Postal Service is a storied institution that is older than the Constitution, with the critical mission of “Binding the Nation Together.” The Postal Service Board of Governors is committed to advancing this legacy and is energized and excited about strengthening its future.
In undertaking this task, we also must acknowledge that 2020 presented major challenges to all organizations, including the Postal Service. The pandemic deeply impacted and tested the resolve of everyone — governments, companies, organizations and individuals. Yet when pressed into critical service and despite the challenges of COVID- 19, the USPS answered the call.
One example of our vital mission and outstanding performance during the pandemic was delivering election mail to the American people, the largest and most successful election by mail in the history of our nation. Last November, under the leadership of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and the Postal Service Executive Leadership Team, the men and women of the Postal Service delivered at least 135 million ballots to or from voters in the general election, with 99.7% of all election ballots arriving at their intended destination within five days, and an average of 1.6 days to deliver ballots from voters to election officials, better than the defined service standard.
Through the pandemic’s test, we confirmed our strengths. We also identified where we must improve, and how we can apply lessons learned during the election and during the holiday season, which strained our capacity. We must confidently plan for our future — which we believe is bright for the Postal Service and for America. Accordingly, the Postmaster General and Board of Governors are focusing on creating a comprehensive 10- year plan — which will significantly improve service and enable the organization to compete more effectively for customers while achieving our congressionally mandated goal of long- term financial sustainability. This plan will be made public in the near future.
The Board of Governors, the Postmaster General and our Executive Leadership Team are working aggressively across the postal enterprise to drive improvements across our organization, achieve greater precision, better support our workforce, provide enhanced commercial products to the marketplace, deliver better service to all Americans in every household, and continue to bind the nation together.