USPS says it is sensitive to the optics around network management activities that could cause concern about the integrity of election mail and would postpone certain things. Image: Trevor Bexon/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe USPS has said it is prepared to handle election-related mail as the November elections approach, meanwhile saying it will not repeat certain actions it took during the 2020 voting season, such as decommissioning certain processing equipment and removing street mail boxes, that proved to be controversial.
Officials said that during both the 2020 and 2022 elections, the USPS delivered 99.9 percent of ballots from voters to election officials within seven days and that it “has the operational capacity to deliver the nation’s ballots in the final weeks of the election.” That will include what the USPS calls “extraordinary steps” such as additional pickups, extra deliveries, and special sort plans on processing equipment.
“Furthermore, the Postal Service will use its discretion to avoid unnecessary optics or perception concerns, even when not related to new initiatives, and even when there is no real possibility that they will impact the Election Mail performance of the Postal Service. For example, management will suspend certain activities around collection management. Changes, such as replacement (unless due to vandalism) or removal of collection boxes, time changes to collections, or changes to eLocks will be suspended,” an announcement said.
Further, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service “will leverage its extensive experience and resources to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process. This includes rigorous security protocols, continuous monitoring, and prompt response to any potential threats or incidents,” it said.
The announcement follows the recent release of an inspector general report finding that Postal facilities internally processed political and election mail on time at rates in the 97-98 percent range during this spring’s primary season.
However, that report also found that policies related to tracking such mail were not always followed. That included instances where a facility was certified as having processed all such mail by a deadline even though it had not, and failure to segregate election mail from the general mail stream.
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