.png)
Dear Friend,
Recent and sudden U.S. Postal Service slowdowns could seriously delay the delivery of ballots in the November election.
President Trump's newly appointed U.S. Postmaster General has abruptly ended overtime pay that helps ensure daily mail pickup and delivery. He defends the move as an "operational efficiency," but postal workers warn of a potential disaster in November- with growing mail backlogs leading to delays of several crucial days in the delivery of ballots.
Why does this matter? Well, in Minnesota, over 545,000 people so far have asked to vote from home by mail this year. That's more than ten times the number from last election. That's a positive trend for democracy, especially during the pandemic, which is why we can't afford or tolerate postal delays that might cause ballots to arrive too late to be counted.
Are the postal delays intentional? Barack Obama thinks so. Last week, he criticized anti-voting efforts that he says are happening "with surgical precision, even undermining the Postal Service in the run-up to an election that is going to be dependent on mailed-in ballots." And President Trump's constant criticism of voting by mail has raised questions about whether his real goal is to make voting from home more difficult and risky.
Along with other secretaries of state, I'm seeking a meeting with the Postmaster General to ensure that ballots get priority - and that nobody's ballot will be delayed.
Here's the bottom line: Politically motivated delays in postal deliveries are unacceptable. We have to call them out and stop them.
Thanks for helping me stand up for fair elections.
