U.S. Postal Service watchdog to probe service woes as worries rise about mail ballots

[rooster59]

U.S. Postal Service watchdog to probe service woes as worries rise about mail ballots

By Andy Sullivan and David Shepardson

 

A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) post office is pictured in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., August 14, 2020. REUTERS/Rachel Wisniewski

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - 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 on Friday.

 

The Postal Service's inspector general also will examine possible conflicts of interest involving new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who has donated $2.7 million to President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans, according to Saloni Sharma, a spokeswoman for Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who requested the investigation.

 

DeJoy owns millions of dollars in stock in Postal Service rivals and customers, according to a financial disclosure form filed by his wife.

 

The Inspector General's Office is "conducting a body of work to address concerns raised," spokeswoman Agapi Doulaveris said.

 

The investigation comes as the Postal Service is warning states that there is "significant risk" voters will not have enough time to complete their ballots and return them under current state laws. The Washington Post reported that the Postal Service has warned a total of 46 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

 

The letters highlight the possibility that a meaningful number of mail votes in the Nov. 3 presidential election might go uncounted if they are returned too late.

 

"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.

 

Republican President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said Thursday that he opposes additional funding to make mail voting easier.

 

Trump, who is trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls, has said without evidence that widespread mail voting could lead to fraud. However, public records show that he has requested mail ballots for himself and his wife Melania ahead of Florida's Tuesday primary election.

 

Election experts say mail voting is as secure as any other method. Biden and other Democrats say Trump is trying to interfere with the election, and former Democratic President Barack Obama said he was worried that Trump was trying to "kneecap" the Postal Service.

 

The issue has taken on added urgency in recent weeks, as cost-cutting measures put in place by DeJoy have led to widespread mail delays.

 

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, said on Friday that the changes could violate state laws against election tampering. She called for a criminal investigation.

 

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 in the mail back to election offices 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.

 

In past elections 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.

 

Problems with mail ballots have marred primary elections in several states this year.

 

(Reporting by Andy Sullivan and David Shepardson; Editing by Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis and Daniel Wallis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-08-15

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[tribalfusion001]

Trump trying to steal the election already.

[Tug]

It’s easy to see the desperation and panic in the trump camp it’s as clear as day trump is attempting to rig the election along with the active solicitation of foreign interference just beggers belief he better hope he wins cause the falls not gonna be pretty this is imo a blatant in your face rip off of the constitution the dudes gotta go

[simple1]

Hopefully the States have enough time to rework their workflow with existing resources and funds to enable timely processing of mail in votes, trump, with his politically appointed head of USPS enabler are working against the Constitutional rights of American citizens to vote. Once trump is removed it must be on the immediate to do list to fire corrupt trump enablers and ban them from lobbying / working for government ever again. In parallel, if necessary, enact legislation to prosecute trump for breaching his Oath to defend the Constitution.

Edited August 14, 2020 by simple1

[animalmagic]

2 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Trump trying to steal the election already.

He did say it would be the most rigged and corrupt election in history!

[stevenl]

So the guy responsible for the postal service has major financial interests in the postal service competition. What could possibly go wrong.

[J Town]

23 minutes ago, stevenl said:

So the guy responsible for the postal service has major financial interests in the postal service competition. What could possibly go wrong.

I checked with a US gubmint contracting officer. This is unquestionably a conflict of interest. However, the post office has different rules than regular civil servants, so Congress has to step in and change the law. Fat chance of that happening before 3 Nov. ????

[Emdog]

21 minutes ago, J Town said:

I checked with a US gubmint contracting officer. This is unquestionably a conflict of interest. However, the post office has different rules than regular civil servants, so Congress has to step in and change the law. Fat chance of that happening before 3 Nov. ????

Pressure. Already coming regarding massive removal of street post boxes.

Create pressure. Send a letter to your Congressperson... hmmm

[soalbundy]

56 minutes ago, stevenl said:

So the guy responsible for the postal service has major financial interests in the postal service competition. What could possibly go wrong.

Don the mafiosi boss has his little fingers in every pie. This chaos could come back to haunt him though, wild demonstrations on the streets accompanied by foreign governments regarding his presidency as no longer legitimate, banana republic USA.

[Eric Loh]

Trump rigging the election is so 3rd world and authoritarian regime stuff. Rather shameful for the richest country and the beacon of democracy for the world. Maybe US need foreign election watchdogs to monitor the this election. 

[bendejo]

Brace yourself for the load of malarky from the DT faithful as to why the USPS should be eradicated.  Most of which probably never posted a letter in the US in their lives.

 

 

[ChouDoufu]

are you kidding?  this is the freakin' united states postal service we're talking about!  the greatest postal system in the world ever!  if they can deal with millions and millions of letters and packages being sent around the country, and indeed around the world, every xmas, shirley they can handle the local elections of 57 states!  remember the overwhelming majority of ballots won't even cross state lines.

 

so obviously the usps will have no problemo sorting ballots over a period of a couple weeks.  i mean, the infrastructure is in place, right?  there's not a damn thing trump or his main henchman he placed in charge of the usps could do about that, right?

 

Postal workers are sounding the alarm as mail sorting machines are removed from processing facilities

Vice News' Motherboard reported Thursday that USPS is quietly removing mail sorting machines — the very machines that are responsible for sorting ballots. There's no official explanation for the changes, and it's unclear why the machines would be removed rather than simply not used when not needed. The removals and planned removals are reportedly affecting several processing facilities across the U.S.

 

"It'll force the mail to be worked by human hands in sorting. Guarantees to STOP productivity," a Post Office source told The Washington Post's Jacqueline Alemany. "On top of cutting the overtime needed to run the machines, can you imagine the [overtime] needed to do this [the] old hard way?"

 

https://news.yahoo.com/postal-workers-sounding-alarm-mail-203218629.html

 

 

 

 

Edited August 15, 2020 by ChouDoufu

[J Town]

Little known fact - USPS is required to fund estimated pension for the next 75 years. NO other company runs like that, and without that need to fund so far in advance they'd be BEYOND solvent. As well, USPS is NOT a business and is not required to show a profit. It costs money to run and pays for itself year after year. Costs go up then so do prices of stamps, envelopes and services.

[worgeordie]

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Republican President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said Thursday that he opposes additional funding to make mail voting easier.

 

I wonder why...no I know why,this is the type of things budding dictators

do,anything to prevent a fair election.

regards Worgeordie

[ChouDoufu]

tricksy!

 

But there do appear to be enforcement changes that would affect delivery times of ballots.

 

Election officials typically use marketing mail (or nonprofit bulk) to send out ballots, which is cheaper than using first class mail. The delivery timelines, however, are different: Marketing mail takes three to 10 days, while first class mail is delivered in two to five days. The postal service has traditionally treated election mail with priority, even if it's not sent first class.

 

But USPS General Counsel Thomas Marshall implied in letters to election officials that marketing mail delivery standards would be enforced for election mail.

 

https://news.yahoo.com/chaos-confusion-cost-cutting-turmoil-210307565.html

[ChouDoufu]

i'm sure this is just a simple misunderstanding, and trump's new henchman will meet with election officials asap to ensure a smooth election.

 

New Postmaster Hasn't Yet Met Election Officials About Mail-In Ballot Concerns

It was not clear why the invitation has yet to be accepted, but those familiar with the exchange said the delay is unusual, considering that election officials will begin sending out absentee ballots as soon as September.

 

https://www.npr.org/2020/08/14/902545891/amid-fears-about-mail-in-ballots-election-officials-havent-met-with-new-postmast

[simple1]

is there not a mechanism in the US to stop the criminal disentrancement of voters; can't the Dems go to the Supreme Court for a ruling as a matter of urgency? Whatever happens, hopefully trump's abuse of power will motivate voters to get out in overwhelming numbers to oust trump and his enablers.

[ChouDoufu]

3 minutes ago, simple1 said:

is there not a mechanism in the US to stop the criminal disentrancement of voters; can't the Dems go to the Supreme Court for a ruling as a matter of urgency? Whatever happens, hopefully trump's abuse of power will motivate voters to get out in overwhelming numbers to oust trump and his enablers.

 

the states, who individually set their own election procedures, can opt to use alternative methods to collect ballots.

 

Ballot Drop Boxes Gain Popularity As An Alternative To In-Person And Mail-In Voting

With concerns about in-person voting or relying on mail-in voting, more election offices are providing secure drop boxes to submit absentee ballots. But the Trump campaign is suing to limit their use.

 

https://www.npr.org/2020/08/10/901064498/ballot-drop-boxes-gain-popularity-as-an-alternative-to-in-person-and-mail-in-vot

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, Tug said:

It’s easy to see the desperation and panic in the trump camp it’s as clear as day trump is attempting to rig the election along with the active solicitation of foreign interference just beggers belief he better hope he wins cause the falls not gonna be pretty this is imo a blatant in your face rip off of the constitution the dudes gotta go

Agree.

 

I see it like this; he still thinks he's the autocratic leader of a big company who enjoys giving orders even if immoral, unethical, breaks the law, etc. I own the company and I will do/say whatever I want and you do as your told and there's no discussion. And the reality is that he got away with it in the past, his staff etc., were intimidated and knew well that any comment that raised any even small contrary points would bring instant abuse and dismissal.  His TV show 'The Bachelor' pretty much the same picture.

[newnative]

   Scandalous Trump is allowed to get away with all this.  Out of his 20,000 lies--and counting--since he became Prez, he did tell one truth--if citizens are able to vote, he said, Republicans will likely never be elected again.  So, that is why he is throwing up so many road blocks to prevent voting.  Love his condemnation of voting by mail while he, himself, votes by mail.  You can't make this s**t up.  

[ncc1701d]

whatever they decide to do - it will be a gong show.

[jcsmith]

Anyone who claims to respect free and fair democracy and who is supporting this obvious suppression is an unabashed hypocrite.

[Jonnapat]

And so it goes on and on. 

The US is always the first to protest about other countries unfair elections and here we have trump trying to disrupt voting by mail.

This is on top of voter suppression and gerrymandering which has appeared to be the recent norm.

It's so obvious that the Republican party will do anything to steal an election that they thoroughly deserve to lose.

[J Town]

11 minutes ago, Jonnapat said:

And so it goes on and on. 

The US is always the first to protest about other countries unfair elections and here we have trump trying to disrupt voting by mail.

This is on top of voter suppression and gerrymandering which has appeared to be the recent norm.

It's so obvious that the Republican party will do anything to steal an election that they thoroughly deserve to lose.

And you won't see a SINGLE 45 supporter defending these moves. Their fearful leader even admitted this will hinder mail in voting and that was his actual purpose. He said "the quiet part" out loud and on camera.

 

 

 

Edited August 15, 2020 by J Town

[johnnybangkok]

It's good to see the usual Trump apologists are very absent from this thread. Could it actually be that even they can't find a good enough excuse for what is a very obvious attemp at voter suppression? 

Their silence speaks volumes.

[J Town]

5 minutes ago, johnnybangkok said:

It's good to see the usual Trump apologists are very absent from this thread. Could it actually be that even they can't find a good enough excuse for what is a very obvious attempt at voter suppression? 

Their silence speaks volumes.

Read my post directly above yours (#24)

[Baerboxer]

3 hours ago, ChouDoufu said:

 

the states, who individually set their own election procedures, can opt to use alternative methods to collect ballots.

 

Ballot Drop Boxes Gain Popularity As An Alternative To In-Person And Mail-In Voting

With concerns about in-person voting or relying on mail-in voting, more election offices are providing secure drop boxes to submit absentee ballots. But the Trump campaign is suing to limit their use.

 

https://www.npr.org/2020/08/10/901064498/ballot-drop-boxes-gain-popularity-as-an-alternative-to-in-person-and-mail-in-vot

 

A country that is probably the most powerful military wise; has the world's reserve currency; leads and has led on massive innovations; has led many fields of academia; etc etc etc.

 

And they can't organize postal ballots! For f$c$ sake! 

 

I, and a great many others, vote by post and have done for years.

 

It ain't rocket science!

 

Too many agendas here, ignoring reality.

[J Town]

10 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

Gee whiz, bet you sooooo wished honest Hilary had won! 

Never mind, creepy old sleazy corrupt Joe and the chameleon giggly Kamala might beat the Donald.

Just remember, you wished for it! 

Yes, they are pretty bad. Just not AS bad as the current occupant.

[Roadman]

5 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Trump rigging the election is so 3rd world and authoritarian regime stuff. Rather shameful for the richest country and the beacon of democracy for the world. Maybe US need foreign election watchdogs to monitor the this election. 

Beacon of democracy? You are kidding. They are not even in the top two dozen of democratic countries. What do you expect when the POTUS is decided by money bribes.

 

Edited August 15, 2020 by Roadman

[Roadman]

2 minutes ago, Roadman said:

Deleted double post

 

 

Edited August 15, 2020 by Roadman