The USPS has been experiencing delays for quite some time now. This is especially significant right now because it could affect the 2020 presidential election. With the election closely approaching, it’s important to understand your options when it comes to mailing in your ballots.
Postal experts suggest it may be time to find a backup plan to mailing in your ballot. According to The Washington Post, “Nationally, 85.6 percent of all first-class mail was delivered on time the week of Oct. 16; that’s the 14th consecutive week the on-time rate sat below 90 percent for mail that should reach its destination within three days.” Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden switched his campaign language to voters. Instead of mailing in ballots, he encourages voters to submit ballots in-person or at a secure dropbox location.
Even after two months of improvements in mail delivery before late September and early October, the decline in performance still occurred. The USPS refuses to address direct questions about why certain regions of the country, especially metropolitan regions, have suffered the nation’s slowest mail delivery. Around 32 states require ballots to be received by Election Day. By a recent court ruling, however, Pennsylvania is to accept ballots until Nov. 6 this year.
Following Pennsylvania, 18 other states are accepting mail ballots after Nov. 3, including Texas, New Jersey, California, North Carolina and Virginia. Per CNBC, “While a few thousand votes are unlikely to swing a presidential race, it is certainly not unheard of: Donald Trump won Michigan by just over 10,000 votes in 2016, while Hillary Clinton won New Hampshire by just 2,736. Florida’s electoral fate was infamously decided by just 537 votes in 2000.” Then, of course, there are countless local races decided by voters each fall, with generally much lower margins than the presidential race. Florida Republican Rick Scott was elected to the U.S. Senate by just 10,033 votes in 2018. By an even lower margin, Minnesota Democrat Al Franken was elected to the U.S. Senate by 225 votes.
In a press release, the USPS mentioned that they will continue to take all necessary measures to “expeditiously process and prioritize the delivery of ballots this Election season.” They also promised more attention to postmarking ballots, since illegible or missing postmarks can get ballots rejected at the last minute, in some states. In an effort to ensure mail ballots are delivered in time for the election, a nationwide order put in place from Judge Emmett G. Sullivan of the District of Columbia to boost the number of late and extra truck pickups. This came as new data shows that on-time mail delivery dropped to dramatically low levels, even lower than in July when millions of Americans went days and weeks without mail.
As voters across the country get ready to fill out their ballot, the importance of its delivery is as crucial as ever. With election day approaching, it’s imperative to vote in person or drop off the ballot at a secure dropbox.
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