The Postal Service says each day it delivers more than 470 million pieces of mail on average, including 181.9 million pieces of first-class mail.
Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/Associated PressWith more Americans expected to vote by mail this year because of fears of the new coronavirus, the U.S. Postal Service will play a central role in the presidential-election process. Postal and some election officials have said delivery deadlines set by some state legislatures could make it hard to ensure that all ballots mailed close to Election Day will arrive in time to be counted. Democrats have called for hearings.
Here are some questions and answers about the Postal Service’s role in the election.
Why is the U.S. Postal Service important to the presidential election?
More Americans than ever are expected to vote by mail in the November election because of coronavirus concerns. Voting by mail isn’t new for many parts of the country, but as more people are likely to vote by mail, how the process is handled by election and postal officials may have bigger consequences for how votes are counted and the outcome.
Five states—Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Utah—routinely conduct all-mail elections. In response to the pandemic, at least four additional states—California, Nevada, New Jersey and Vermont—and the District of Columbia have pledged to mail out ballots to all properly registered voters for the November election. Montana says its counties may choose to send mail ballots and expand early voting for the general election.
Many states allow any voter to request a by-mail ballot in advance. A smaller number of states require voters to need a specific reason to vote absentee, such as being out of town.
What does the Postal Service say about its ability to handle the election process this year?
The Postal Service says it has ample capacity to deliver all election mail securely and on time. The Postal Service says each day it delivers more than 470 million pieces of mail on average, including 181.9 million pieces of first-class mail.
More than 33 million ballots were cast by mail in the 2016 general election, accounting for roughly 24% of the 140 million Americans who voted.
So, what are the concerns about the election?
Postal-union representatives and some customers have complained about significant delays in recent weeks. Even Ohio’s top election official, Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, said in a recorded meeting that recently he has had days where his own home hasn’t received any mail. Mr. LaRose has long urged voters to act early if they want to vote by mail, and says he is speaking with the Postal Service ahead of the election.
Recommendations to mail a ballot with time to spare aren’t new, but postal and election officials have heightened their warnings as more Americans are likely to vote by mail. The Postal Service sent letters in July to election officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, reiterating the importance of not procrastinating with mail-in balloting.
In the quarter ended June 30, the Postal Service said national single-piece, first-class mail two-day performance was 92.4% on time and national three-to-five-day performance was 81.4% on time. Both figures were below year-earlier levels.
President Trump has said that “universal” mail-in voting would invite fraud and errors. Researchers haven’t found evidence of widespread fraud, although some isolated cases have been linked to mailed ballots.
The flood of mailed ballots has caused longer counting periods in some cases. It took a week or more to declare the winner in some closely watched races during the primaries in Kentucky and New York.
Mailed ballots can take longer to count than in-person votes for several reasons, such as the time it takes to open return envelopes or verify signatures. Some local election offices won’t likely have enough extra staff or technology to speed up the process amid budget constraints and with little time to make changes to their procedures before November. But election officials stress that accuracy is more important than speed.
Envelopes were placed outside the home of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy during a Shut Down DC protest in Washington on Saturday.
Photo: Eric Lee/Bloomberg NewsWhen did problems at the Postal Service develop, and what caused them?
The Postal Service faces long-running financial problems, which stem from both legislative requirements and seismic changes to its business over the past two decades. A 2006 law, among other things, required that the Postal Service prefund retiree medical benefits. The Postal Service has defaulted on those payments and owes more than $50 billion.
In addition, there has been a significant drop in the Postal Service’s most profitable business line of first-class mail. The volume of first-class letters has fallen by nearly half from its 2001 peak to 54.9 billion letters last year, because of the shift to electronic communication.
The Postal Service is also restricted from raising prices too much on first-class mail, so it can’t make up for the decline with higher prices. It has embraced e-commerce and delivers more packages than any delivery company, but those gains haven’t been enough to make up the losses.
Last week, the agency proposed imposing surcharges on commercial parcels during the holiday shopping season for the first time in its history, as it seeks to recoup some of its higher costs and an expected surge in e-commerce parcels.
For the quarter ended June 30, the Postal Service reported total revenue of $17.6 billion, an increase of 3.2% compared with a year earlier. Its net loss narrowed to $2.2 billion from $2.3 billion.
What operational changes is the Postal Service making? Who recommended them? When did they go into effect?
The Postal Service has made changes to curtail costs, including ensuring trucks leave on time and controlling overtime costs by targeting what senior postal officials have called unnecessary costs and lateness. The changes have been implemented in recent weeks, senior postal officials have said publicly, after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy took over.
The Postal Service has also removed some mail-sorting machines from places it says weren’t needed. The changes were recommended by the agency’s watchdog in studies conducted before Mr. DeJoy took the role.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, left, says reducing inefficiencies is necessary to put the Postal Service on a financially sustainable path.
Photo: Carolyn Kaster/Associated PressWhat role has Postmaster General Louis DeJoy played?
Mr. DeJoy’s emphasis on curtailing costs has drawn criticism from congressional Democrats, who say the changes will delay deliveries including mailed ballots. Mr. DeJoy was tapped to be postmaster general by the Postal Service’s Board of Governors in May. The board is bipartisan by statute and normally consists of as many as nine governors appointed by the president.
Mr. DeJoy is a former logistics-company executive and donor to the Trump campaign and Republican Party. He says reducing inefficiencies is necessary to put the Postal Service on a financially sustainable path.
His predecessor, Megan Brennan, had also called for legislative and regulatory changes to address the Postal Service’s financial problems. In 2019, Ms. Brennan proposed cutting the number of days mail is delivered to five days a week while expanding package delivery to seven. The concept didn’t advance when members of Congress, including current White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, objected.
What are lawmakers and the Trump administration proposing to do now?
Democratic lawmakers have called on Mr. DeJoy to testify before Congress this month. “Alarmingly, the postmaster general…has acted as an accomplice in the president’s campaign to cheat in the election, as he launches sweeping new operational changes that degrade delivery standards and delay the mail,” the Democrats said in a written statement.
The Postal Service has rejected accusations that it is slowing down election mail or any kind of mail. Mr. DeJoy has said publicly he doesn’t make decisions concerning the Postal Service at the direction of the president.
President Trump has defended Mr. DeJoy. At a news conference on Saturday, Mr. Trump called Mr. DeJoy a “brilliant businessperson” and a “very smart man,” and said he didn’t know what he was doing at the Postal Service.
Supporters of the activist group Shut Down DC march toward the home of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in Washington on Saturday.
Photo: jim lo scalzo/EPA/ShutterstockDemocratic lawmakers and President Trump are talking about boosting funding for the Postal Service. Would that help?
The Postal Service is an independent agency that doesn’t receive an annual taxpayer subsidy, but instead is reimbursed by Congress for certain relatively small areas, including delivering mail to the blind and overseas voters. It is funded by the sale of postage and other services it provides.
The Postal Service faces longstanding structural and financial problems, according to a recent report from a government watchdog that called on Congress to address the agency’s situation. At the same time, the Postal Service has said in financial filings that it has enough liquidity to fund operations through at least August 2021.
The Postal Service has publicly said its financial condition won’t affect its ability to process and deliver election mail.
“I think they do need money,” said Kevin Kosar, a senior fellow and postal-policy expert at R Street Institute, a free-market think tank, “but not for election purposes.” Funding could help with other challenges facing the Postal Service, Mr. Kosar suggested, such as upgrading its delivery fleet or offering “financially fair buyouts to workers who are approaching retirement.”
House Democrats in May proposed $25 billion for the Postal Service as part of a coronavirus-relief package. The Postal Service reached an agreement for a $10 billion loan from the Treasury Department last month.
What should I do if I want to vote by mail?
If you plan to vote by mail, election officials say the most important thing to do is mail your ballot back well in advance of your state’s due date. At least nine states and the District of Columbia have pledged to mail ballots to properly registered voters for the November election, and Montana counties may choose to do so. Other states require voters to request a ballot, by mailing in an application, submitting the request online or in other ways, depending on what each state allows.
The Postal Service has publicly recommended that voters mail back their ballot at least a week in advance of their state’s deadline.
Officials say voters should mail their ballots back even earlier if possible, which they say will also allow time to troubleshoot any possible problems. Depending on where they live, voters might have alternatives to the mail, such as being able to drop off the ballot at a secure drop box.
“When it comes to elections, mail delay is not a new conversation nor is it a new problem,” said Tina Barton, the city clerk for Rochester Hills, Mich., and a Republican. “There’s some responsibility on us as voters to make sure that we get our ballot as quickly as possible.”
—Paul Ziobro contributed to this article.
Write to Alexa Corse at alexa.corse@wsj.com
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