Judge Orders USPS To Deliver Ballots Faster

A U.S. district court judge in Washington ordered the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) on Friday to speed up the delivery of ballots ahead of Tuesday’s general election.

The order comes just days after a U.S. House investigation found that USPS mail delivery timeliness has declined in the last several months, leading to significant mail delays.

In joining the federal lawsuit that led to the order, Attorney General Josh Kaul said President Donald Trump is to blame for the Postal Service changes, calling them a ploy to “sabotage fair elections.” Wisconsin joined the lawsuit together with Washington, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Michigan.

“The Trump administration’s attack on the USPS shortly before an election in which record-breaking use of mail-in voting will take place must be stopped,” Kaul said when the lawsuit was filed in August.

Judge Stanley Bastian ordered the postal service to accelerate service after the 14 plaintiff states held a status conference with USPS.

The USPS is required to accelerate delivery in the Lakeland District, which covers most of Wisconsin and northern Illinois, as well as in Detroit, where delays have been particularly serious.

“The slowdown of mail delivery in our state – especially in Detroit – has had a dramatic negative impact on the timely delivery of absentee ballots,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a news release about the order. “This has been a serious impediment to voters who have made the effort to request, receive, vote and return their absentee ballots.”

The order applies to USPS facilities and processing centers. It states:

• If USPS identifies any incoming ballots in its “all clear” processes in these facilities from the date of this order through Election Day, it shall make every effort to deliver those ballots by 8:00 PM local time on Election Day as required by Michigan and Wisconsin law, including by using Priority Mail Express and/or other extraordinary measures.
• If USPS identifies any outgoing ballots in its “all clear” processes in these facilities between Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, it shall make every effort to deliver those ballots to voters on or before Nov. 2, 2020, including by using Priority Mail Express or other extraordinary measures.

Plaintiffs, including Attorney General Kaul, will get “reasonable access” to USPS facilities for compliance purposes, according to the order.

Early in-person voting has ended in Wisconsin. Voters who have not yet cast their ballots should drop them off with a local elections clerk or in a drop box, or vote in person on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Reprinted with permission of Wisconsin Examiner.