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2021 election: USPS workers sound alarm about new policies that may affect mail in voting, Washington Post reports
Citing a number of postal workers and union leaders, the Post reported that elements of the nation are experiencing at the very least a two-day delay in receiving mail, together with for categorical mail, on account of the US Postal Service’s new policies.
The present backlog is worsening to the purpose the place workers worry they will not be capable of find all voters’ ballots in time for them to be processed, the newspaper reported.
In an announcement to CNN Thursday, the USPS acknowledged some “momentary service impacts” from the current modifications however disputed issues that its value slicing and effectivity measures put in place by DeJoy will intrude with well timed supply of mail-in votes.
“To be clear nonetheless, and regardless of any assertions on the contrary, we aren’t slowing down Election Mail or another mail. As an alternative, we proceed to make use of a strong and confirmed course of to make sure correct dealing with of all Election Mail per our requirements,” USPS spokesperson David Partenheimer stated.
The new policies embrace hours being in the reduction of inside the US Postal Service, in line with the memo obtained by CNN that exhibits speaking factors given to USPS managers throughout the nation on July 10.
In accordance with the memo, additional time, together with late journeys and further journeys by USPS workers, is now not licensed or accepted. That is defined as a value slicing measure that might save the financially struggling USPS round $200 million.
“One facet of those modifications that may be tough for workers is that, quickly — we may see mail left behind or mail on the workroom flooring or docks … which isn’t typical,” reads the memo.
The memo states any mail left behind can be reported with the “root causes” of the delays addressed the subsequent day, with the intention of the quantity of delayed mail shrinking over time, however the actuality of that stays unclear because the modifications are new.
Partenheimer stated in the assertion that any “such impacts can be monitored and momentary as the foundation causes of any points can be addressed as crucial and corrected as acceptable.”
He went on to say that DeJoy isn’t beholden to the affect of Trump and that the “notion that the Postmaster Common makes selections in regards to the Postal Service on the path of the President is wholly misplaced and off-base.”
“Whereas the USPS is ready to fund its working bills with out further borrowing presently, we’re happy to have reached an settlement on the fabric phrases and situations of a mortgage, ought to the necessity come up,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stated in an announcement.
“If the funding would not come by, all the pieces we do, together with vote by mail can be a lot more durable,” Dimondstein instructed CNN.
CNN’s Mary Kay Mallonee, Ellie Kaufman and Gregory Wallace contributed to this report.
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