Bowing to the inevitable, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is suspending several cost-saving reforms until after the election because of concerns expressed by Democrats over the mail-in ballot process.
In his statement, DeJoy asserted that “mail processing equipment and blue collection boxes will remain where they are” and that “overtime has, and will continue to be, approved as needed.” DeJoy’s statement does not address whether changes that have already been made — like removed equipment or changes in operational practices — would be rolled back.
DeJoy also announced that that the USPS would expand its task force on election mail, saying “leaders of our postal unions and management associations have committed to joining the task force.” The embattled postmaster general said the agency would “engage standby resources” on Oct. 1.
This, despite assurances by the postal workers’ union that even with the reforms, “the system remains fully capable of delivering every single ballot cast by mail in a secure and timely manner.” The unions also said they could do the job “whether or not Congress provides the funding included in the HEROES Act.”
So why did House Speaker Nancy Pelosi call the chamber back into session and order DeJoy to appear before a congressional committee if the unions are assuring us they can do the job?
“They felt the heat. And that’s what we were trying to do, make it too hot for them to handle,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said, reacting to the announcement during a POLITICO Playbook interview.”
The uproar is manufactured. Even if DeJoy had not initiated any changes at all, the postal service would have had difficulty making sure that every ballot in the mail would reach its destination on time.
DeJoy has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks, which came to a head whenThe Washington Post first reported last week that the USPS’ general counsel sent letters to election officials in 46 states, warning that some ballots may not be deliverable on time because of incongruities between various state deadlines and the USPS’ delivery capabilities.
Election experts have long warned that some state deadlines are unworkable, even if the Postal Service is operating at full capacity.
Democrats don’t believe there should be any rules at all — no deadlines to disqualify ballots, no reasons to reject a ballot, even if the voter couldn’t follow the simple instructions on mailing it in. If an individual even thinks of voting, it should be counted. Why even bother with ballots?
They will keep counting and keep counting until they win.
One person familiar with the decision said the heavily criticized changes were “becoming a distraction,” “a red herring” and a “lightning rod.”
“The priority now is making the election work and nothing else is a priority,” said the person, calling the proper delivery of ballots during a pandemic “too important.”
“We don’t want to politicize this,” the person added.
Too late for that, the Democrats have already done it.
California alone rejected more than 100,000 mail-in ballots for the March 2020 primary, mostly because the voter mailed the ballot in too late, or didn’t sign it. California only requires that your ballot be postmarked on or before Election Day and that the ballot arrives within three days of the election.
But other states have deadlines for absentee ballots that differ wildly. Alabama requires that a ballot be postmarked one day before Election Day and be received by noon on Election Day. Alaska is a little more lenient; the ballot must be postmarked on or before Election Day but can be received 10 days after the election.
It won’t matter how much money the postal service gets, or how many sorting machines they have, or how many mail drop-boxes are scattered throughout the country. There are going to be hundreds of thousands of ballots ineligible for one reason or another that Democrats won’t accept — especially if Trump is ahead on election night. They will tie the U.S. court system in knots with challenge after challenge, demanding ineligible votes be counted, demanding spoiled votes be unspoiled. Meanwhile, they will plunge the nation into chaos.
It bears repeating: They will keep counting and keep counting until they win.
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