As if some voters aren’t already confused enough when it comes to voting by mail with all of the misinformation coming from President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, the U.S. Postal Service is now sending out incorrect information that could further complicate the matter, according to a report from HuffPost:
“The USPS is sending postcard notices to addresses and post office boxes of registered voters, urging them to request mail-in ballots early. But several states already have a system in place that automatically sends ballots to all registered voters, noted Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold in a series of tweets. For residents in those states, the ‘information is not just confusing, it’s WRONG,’ she said.”
Even worse is the fact that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy refused to heed requests from secretaries of state that they be allowed to see and correct any notices from the Postal Service before they were mailed to voters.
Griswold posted her concerns about what DeJoy and the USPS are doing on Twitter:
I just found out the @USPS is sending this postcard to every household and PO Box in the nation. For states like Colorado where we send ballots to all voters, the information is not just confusing, it’s WRONG. (Thread) pic.twitter.com/RoTTeJRJVl
— Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) September 12, 2020
Here in Colorado (and also in CA, DC, HI, NJ, NV, OR, UT, WA, & VT) voters don’t request ballots because a ballot is mailed to every registered voter. But the @USPS is confusing our voters by telling them to request a ballot.
— Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) September 12, 2020
Also in Colorado, we ask voters to send ballots back at least 8 days before the election. Why is the @USPS telling voters a different timeline?
— Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) September 12, 2020
This may have started off as a well-intentioned effort by @USPS, but their refusal to listen to election experts combined with the recent postal slowdown in some parts of the country is beyond suspect.
— Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) September 12, 2020
Why exactly is the USPS working at cross-purposes with the states, who are trying to make sure the 2020 election is safe and fair? According to David Rupert, a spokesperson for the Postal Service:
“The non-partisan campaign neither encourages nor discourages mail-in voting. Rather, it is designed to reach and inform all voters about the importance of planning ahead if they plan to vote by mail.”
However, Rupert didn’t comment on the incorrect information contained on the postcards the agency is mailing out.
The best thing to do if you receive one of the postcards and want to know when and how to request and return an absentee ballot is to contact your local board of elections or secretary of state’s office and make sure you have the correct information.
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