How The USPS Funding Crisis Could Impact Election Day In PA

PENNSYLVANIA — The U.S. Postal Service has warned Pennsylvania officials that mail-in ballots may not be processed in time for the November election, prompting a political firestorm over the mail-in process and concerns from both parties over threats to the election's legitimacy.

The Postal Service warned Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar in a late-July letter of the delay, NBC News first reported on Friday. Now, state officials have filed suit in court to extend the counting deadline by three days in order to guarantee that all votes are counted.

Yet while the court battle continues on, Pennsylvania leaders are urging residents not to panic and are striking a confident tone.

"PA to voters: Don't panic about USPS and mail ballots," Boockvar said on social media. She added in a different post, "Do not believe hype."

Health officials previously urged residents to vote by mail if possible due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Boockvar does urge Pennsylvanians to mail their vote in as soon as possible, if they plan to vote by mail. The delays in counting apply chiefly to the week leading up to Election Day on Nov. 3.

To register to vote by mail, see Pennsylvania's voter page here.

As it stands, the deadline to request a mail ballot in Pennsylvania is a week before the election. The ballot currently must be received by the election office by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Due to changes to Pennsylvania law put into place last October, before the pandemic began, any Pennsylvania resident can request a mail-in ballot for any reason.

The news comes as Democrats around the country target Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who they charge has instituted recent operational changes which will drastically slow voting times. President Trump has repeatedly come out against mail-in voting, claiming it's an attempt to at election fraud.

"With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" he wrote on Twitter in July.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro appeared on CNN Tonight over the weekend with Don Lemon, and said that the recent moves by President Trump and the postmaster general would defund and limit the efficacy of the Postal Service.

"When the president tries to distract us with the outrage of the day, he's really just trying to hide something...he's doing everything in his power to undermine our democracy and undermine the vote in November," Shapiro said. "I won't let the president I won't let him undermine the vote here in Pennsylvania."

Speaker Nancy Pelosi recalled the U.S. House of Representatives back into session on Sunday over the issue, citing DeJoy as a "complicit crony" who is seeking to degrade the Postal Service in a letter written to Democratic colleagues.

The House is now set to convene later this week and will vote on the "Delivering for America Act" which would prohibit the Postal Service from making any changes to the level of service it had provided on Jan. 1, 2020.

Before the court battle began, counties around Pennsylvania had already been preparing for a massive influx of mail-in ballots for what is sure to be a historic election.

Many counties, including Montgomery and Bucks, have allocated hundreds of thousands to purchase counting and processing machines and to hire employees strictly focused on coordinating mail-in balloting at the local level.

RELATED: Montco Plans For Massive Mail-In Ballot Influx For 2020 Election