Doug Jones Urges USPS To Fix Delays Ahead Of Election

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senator Doug Jones, alongside a group of his colleagues, is urging U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to provide answers regarding reports of recent changes to long-standing practices at the United States Postal Service that would result in increased delivery times and costs for election mail, and urged him not take any further action that makes it harder and more expensive to vote by mail.

Jones said that despite reports from across the country of slow delivery, mail left sitting in facilities overnight and challenges delivering absentee ballots on time to election officials, DeJoy has refused to provide Congress with satisfactory answers on his actions he has taken and continues to assert that election officials must pay the First Class rate for election mail to be prioritized.

"Like voting itself, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is vital to our democracy. Since you assumed the role of Postmaster General, there have been disturbing reports regarding changes at USPS that are causing significant delays in the delivery of mail. Under normal circumstances, delayed mail is a major problem – during a pandemic in the middle of a presidential election, it is catastrophic," the senators wrote in the letter to DeJoy.

"Despite our continued efforts, Congress has so far only provided states with $400 million in emergency funding for elections—billions short of what experts say is needed to keep voters safe this year," the letter states. "As election officials across the country plead with Congress to authorize additional election funding, reports suggest the Postal Service could implement changes that suddenly increase costs for Americans to safely vote. That is wrong and unacceptable.

"As Postmaster General, you have a duty to our democracy to ensure the timely delivery of election mail. Millions of Americans’ right to vote depends on your ability to get the job done. We urge you not to increase costs for election officials, and to direct all Postal Service employees to continue to prioritize delivery of election mail."

In July, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill announced that any qualified voter who determines it is impossible or unreasonable to vote at their polling place amid the COVID-19 pandemic is eligible to vote by mail, or absentee ballot.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many voters to worry about the spread of the virus amid long lines and crowded polling locations on election day. Merrill was criticized leading up to the primary runoff elections last week because he and Attorney General Steve Marshall opposed mandatory face coverings and temperature checks at polling locations.

"Amid coronavirus concerns, it is important to remember that Alabamians who are concerned about contracting or spreading an illness have the opportunity to avoid the polls on Election Day by casting an absentee ballot," Merrill said.