Mail-In Voters Sue Trump, DeJoy Over Postal Service Changes Ahead Of Election

TOPLINE

A coalition of mail-in voters and several Democratic candidates filed a lawsuit Monday in the Southern District of New York against President Donald Trump and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, alleging recent controversial changes at the U.S. Postal Service that have resulted in widespread mail delays illegally infringe on their right to vote.

KEY FACTS

Crucial Quote

“Changing the quality and quantity of USPS services…in the middle of this election cycle will predictably and irreparably harm everyone involved, to say nothing of the damage it will cause to the integrity of the election itself,” the plaintiffs allege in the lawsuit.

Chief Critic

The postal service and DeJoy have repeatedly denied intentionally slowing down the mail and expressed confidence in USPS’s ability to handle an influx of mail-in ballots. “The U.S. Postal Service is well prepared and has ample capacity to deliver America’s election mail for the upcoming general election in November,” USPS chief logistics and processing operations officer David Williams and general counsel Thomas Marshall wrote in an op-ed for USA Today. “Given our available processing capacity, we can easily handle the anticipated increase in election mail due to the COVID-19 pandemic, without impact to on-time performance.” DeJoy has also specifically denied being influenced by Trump and defended his recent changes to the agency, though he acknowledged there have been “unintended consequences.” The U.S. Postal Service has not yet responded to a request for comment regarding the lawsuit.

Key Background

The U.S. Postal Service has become a major source of political debate ahead of the election, particularly in light of Trump’s comments tying funding for the agency to his dislike of mail-in voting. The president claimed Monday that his administration wants to “make the post office great again” and made false claims attacking ballot drop boxes—viewed as a trusted alternative to mailing a ballot via USPS—although his campaign has sent mailers to voters in multiple states specifically encouraging them to vote absentee. (Voting experts say that absentee voting and mail-in voting is largely the same thing, including in Florida, where Trump has requested a ballot to vote by mail.) Americans nationwide have expressed outrage over the recent changes to USPS, which have resulted in some Americans going weeks without mail deliveries, and Democrats in Congress have ramped up their efforts to address the changes. The House will reconvene this weekend to vote on legislation aimed at reversing DeJoy’s changes to the postal service, before a hearing Aug. 24 with DeJoy and USPS Board of Governors chair Robert M. Duncan.

Further Reading

Sorting Equipment Removed, Changes To Election Mail: Here Are All The Postal Service Changes Raising Alarm (Forbes)

Trump Admits To Blocking USPS Funding Over Mail-In Voting, Biden Slams Move As ‘Pure Trump’ (Forbes)

America’s Most Loved Brand? The Post Office—No Matter What President Trump Says (Forbes)

Postal Service Warns Mail-In Ballots In 46 States May Not Be Delivered In Time (Forbes)