U.S. Postal Service urges voters to mail ballots early

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The U.S. Postal Service says it has the capacity to handle an uptick in election mail, but officials are urging voters to send in their ballots early. Beginning this week, the Postal Service is taking several steps to speed up election mail, from extra deliveries to specialized sorting plans at processing facilities. The Postal Service says that in the first three weeks of October, 99.9% of the election mail was delivered within seven days.”The nation’s postal network is operating effectively without any major reported disruptions,” Steve Monteith, chief customer and marketing officer for the Postal Service, told reporters on Wednesday. Still, officials say voters should not wait to mail in their ballots. “We do recommend that they return their ballot at least seven days prior to the election, but voters also need to be very mindful of whatever their specific state rules and deadlines are,” said Adrienne Marshall, the election and government mail services director for the Postal Service. Sylvia Albert, policy counsel for the advocacy group Common Cause, said voters should check their state’s deadline for accepting ballots sent by mail. “The largest concern I would have is not around the Postal Service, but around the laws in states which vary greatly as to whether or not your ballot can be received after election day even if it is postmarked before,” Albert said. “If you are in a location that needs a ballot received by election day and we’re past November 1st, then consider taking it to a drop box or driving it to a county election office.”Last month, several groups representing state and local election officials raised concerns about the Postal Service’s ability to deliver election mail in a timely and accurate manner. In a follow-up letter earlier this month, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) said their concerns were not fully addressed after a meeting with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. “A more open meeting with Postmaster DeJoy would have allowed us to further emphasize the concerns Chief Election Officials have. There are numerous unresolved issues, and we simply need more specifics on the solutions he has proposed,” said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, who also serves as president of the NASS. Asked about that criticism, Monteith said the Postal Service is continuing to collaborate with state and local officials, including through one-on-one conversations with Secretaries of State. “We remain dedicated to resolving any problems promptly and efficiently,” Monteith said. Meanwhile, Monteith said the Postal Service is making progress restoring mail service in areas impacted by recent hurricanes. As of Tuesday, he said all postal service processing facilities and most retail and delivery units have reopened in North Carolina and Florida. Monteith also stressed that full recovery would take time. He said about 4,600 addresses in North Carolina and about 600 in Florida are still without mail service. Monteith said customers impacted by Hurricane Helene can arrange to pick up mail at designated post offices. The Postal Service is also rolling out mobile retail units to serve affected communities as quickly as possible.

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