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Friday, March 29, 2024

U.S. postal service shakeup sparks election fears

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U.S. postal service shakeup sparks election fears
U.S. postal service shakeup sparks election fears

[NFA] A shakeup of the U.S. Postal Service is leading to mail delays, union officials said on Tuesday, heightening concerns about mail-in ballots for the Nov.

3 presidential election.

Colette Luke has the latest.

A shakeup of the U.S. Postal Service is leading to mail delays, union officials said on Tuesday, heightening concerns that President Donald Trump’s new postmaster general is destabilizing the service, as millions of Americans consider whether to cast their ballots by mail in the Nov.

3 presidential election.

New Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who has donated $2.7 million dollars to Trump and his fellow Republicans since 2017, has ordered operational changes and a clampdown on overtime in a bid to fix the financially troubled service.

The post office - which reported a net loss of $2.2 billion dollars in the last quarter - has also been stretched thin from online shopping deliveries during the pandemic, with delays being reported in at least 19 states, according to media reports.

Internal Postal Service documents seen by Reuters acknowledge that the changes, introduced in July, may lead to delays, which democrats fear could lead to an election day fiasco.

(Sen.

Chuck Schumer): “It was heated discussion." U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer last week said he spoke with the postmaster to reverse the changes: “We are demanding that the regulations they put in place, which cut employment and cut overtime be rescinded, particularly because of COVID and because of the elections... We told that to the postmaster.

He had some answers.

I don't think we found them adequate." (President Donald Trump): “Universal mail-in ballots is going to be a great embarrassment to our country." Trump, who has voted by mail himself, has repeatedly said without evidence that the method could lead to widespread fraud.

But election experts say it is as secure as any other method.

The postmaster general last Friday told the Postal Service Board of Governors, that the Postal Service has ample capacity to deliver all election mail securely and on-time and, will do so.

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