Washington Files Lawsuit Over Postal Service Cuts

SEATTLE, WA — Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday, formally challenging recent changes to operations at the U.S. Postal Service as unlawful.

Ferguson argues that recently appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is acting outside of his authority and failed to follow proper procedures. Washington is joined in the lawsuit by a coalition of 13 other states, including Colorado and Oregon.

The Attorney General lists several alterations to the Postal Service — some of which have already resulted in mail delays:

• Eliminating staff overtime, even if necessary to complete the day’s work
• Prohibiting mail carriers from making return trips to distribution centers, which requires late-arriving mail to be left for delivery the following day
• Decommissioning sorting machines, reducing sorting capacity by 10 percent
• Removing mailboxes
• No longer treating all election mail as first-class mail regardless of the amount of postage paid, forcing state election officials to get election mail out sooner or pay first-class postage to ensure timely delivery

In Washington, Ferguson said the Postal Service is already in the process of halting the processing of outgoing mail at three of the state's five distribution centers: Tacoma, Yakima and Wenatchee. As a result, all outgoing mail would have to filter through the remaining centers in Seattle and Spokane.

"Closing these centers significantly harms rural communities, often significantly increasing the distance mail must travel," the Attorney General's office said in a statement. "Mail sent from one address to another in the same town would have to travel all the way to one of the remaining distribution centers and back again before being delivered."

Another immediate impact, Ferguson notes, would be to Washington's vote-by-mail elections. The Attorney General pointed to a recent piece in the Seattle Times which found delays could hamper some voters' ability to receive their ballots in-time.

Other anticipated impacts include delays for essential items like prescriptions, which are often relied on by seniors and others at high risk.

Gov. Jay Inslee released a statement Monday night strongly condemning the changes at the Postal Service.

"Mail-in ballots are the easiest, safest, most reliable voting method there is and Washington's vote-by-mail system is proof of that. Our system has worked well for years without incident, and I am confident it will continue to ensure strong and dependable access to democracy for the people of our state.

Unfortunately, we cannot take this for granted in light of the Trump administration’s efforts to suppress the votes of the American people. We are witnessing an unprecedented and brazen attack unlike anything we have ever seen, and we can no longer trust this administration to stand up for a free and fair election. Washingtonians across our state are rightfully outraged and we must continue to be vigilant to ensure every community, every voice and every vote counts.

There is no excuse for the Trump administration’s assault on democracy. The U.S. Postal Service is a vital and trusted part of all our communities. The USPS does not just deliver ballots but also medication, paychecks, supplies and other crucial lifelines. To cut back and restrict this service at any time is inexcusable, but during a pandemic it is downright abhorrent.

The president should be doing less to suppress our votes, and more to suppress the COVID-19 virus.

I will do everything in my power to help ensure all Washingtonians have access to the full range of services offered by the USPS — especially their constitutional right to participate in state, local and federal elections. We are fortunate in this state to have Attorney General Bob Ferguson working to support our rights and we will continue to explore all ways to protect our voting rights in Washington."

On Tuesday, the Postmaster General announced he would suspend planned changes until after the November election to "avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail." DeJoy did not specify whether previously-removed mailboxes and sorting machines would be returned. He is scheduled to testify before Congress on Friday.

Learn more about the lawsuit filed in Washington here.