USPS under increased scrutiny by federal judges after ballot delays
USPS delivery service has been especially slow since Trump hired an ally as postmaster general
As Election Day fast approaches, two federal judges have increased their oversight of the US Postal Service’s operations. An order intended to improve ballot mail delivery in parts of Michigan and Wisconsin came from one judge late Friday.
This oversight was put in place to ensure absentee ballots will be delivered quickly and prior to voting deadlines.
Read More: Meet the Black man who could have saved the US Postal Service
The Postal Service’s delivery service has been especially slow in the days before the presidential election and has been widely criticized — particularly in the battleground states where thousands of voters prefer to mail their ballots instead of visiting polling places in person due to the coronavirus pandemic. Democratic state leaders and other voting access groups have demanded judicial oversight of the agency’s work.
Stanley Bastian of the Eastern District of Washington state told the Postal Service they must “make every effort” to deliver any mailed-in ballots it finds in facilities in the Lakeland region of Wisconsin and in the Detroit area by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Top officials of the USPS testified on Saturday in a separate court proceeding in Washington, D.C. In that case, federal Judge Emmet Sullivan has held daily hearings on the Postal Service’s performance, and he put under court order the agency’s pledge to take “extraordinary measures” to collect some mail this Sunday that it normally would not, among other efforts before Election Day.
Read More: Mail-in ballots from Black NC voters rejected 4 times rate of white voters
On Friday, Sullivan praised USPS employees and managers for their professionalism and hard work, and he offered a “judicial shout-out” to postal workers to mark his admiration.
He also encouraged the public visiting post offices to keep an eye on the Postal Services efficiency. “If you see something, say something. The public can make things happen. I can make things happen, too,” Sullivan said.
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