A North Carolina congresswoman is joining other lawmakers on Capitol Hill in sounding the alarm that the U.S. Postal Service may not be up to the task of handling a surge in mail-in ballots during this fall’s election unless there is a policy shift at the agency.
Their concern stems from news reports that cost-cutting operational changes at USPS - including restricting overtime - are sparking a mail backlog.
In a letter to congressional leaders, Rep. Alma Adams, D-12th District, and other lawmakers warned that the “potential for votes to go uncounted, or for their delivery to be delayed as a result of the Postmaster General’s new requirements, threatens the integrity of the upcoming election.”
Adams helped organize the letter, which was signed by more than 120 of her colleagues, including North Carolina's two other congressional Democrats: Rep. GK Butterfield, D-1st District, and Rep. David Price, D-4th District.
In it, they call for the next coronavirus aid package to mandate that the USPS return to older operational standards. It also says the bill should include language ensuring USPS has access to borrowing authority to help compensate for their financial losses amid the pandemic.
With the coronavirus still roaring, the number of mail-in ballot requests in North Carolina - and across the country - is surging.
“If people can’t get out to vote safely, then we have to rely on the Post Office. We need to make sure that we safeguard the post office’s ability to get the mail delivered,” Adams said in an interview.
The letter comes as President Donald Trump is offering mixed messages about mail-in voting. He has raised unsubstantiated claims about widespread voter fraud while at the same time encouraging people in Florida - a battleground state this fall - to vote by mail.
He has also questioned whether the postal service is capable of handling the additional ballot load.
“The post office for many years has been run in a fashion that hasn’t been great … I don’t think the post office is prepared for a thing like this,” he said at a press briefing this week.
In an email, a spokesman for USPS said they remain committed to “delivering Election Mail in a timely manner consistent with our operational standards.”
A top Republican donor - Louis DeJoy - recently took over the role of Postmaster General. Citing years of financial losses, he has called for the organization to operate “efficiently and effectively.”
Asked about the reported mail delays, a spokesman for the North Carolina State Board of Elections said they are recommending voters put their ballot in the mail a week before the election “at the latest.”
In North Carolina, a mail-in ballot can be counted provided it is postmarked on or before Election Day and arrives no later than 5 p.m. three days after the election.
Additional information about mail-in voting in North Carolina can be found here.