Photo By Gregory Jordan/Creative Commons: Recent cost-cutting changes to the Postal Service have reduced service and slowed delivery times of medicine, checks, and other vital mail, say critics, who raise fears that cuts will affect mail-in balloting in November. That could hit Arizona, which up to 90 percent voting is by mail, particularly hard.
By Mythili Gubbi and MacKenzie Belley/Cronkite News
WASHINGTON D.C. – Spoiled medication and missing rent checks are just some of the problems that Arizonans have seen as a result of recent postal system changes, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said during a grilling Friday of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
“Over the past week, my office has heard from over 18,000 Arizonans about the importance of the Postal Service,” but many also said that the service is getting worse, the Arizona Democrat said during the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing.
DeJoy has come under fire for several cost-cutting changes that have led to disruptions and delays in deliveries and raised fears about the agency’s ability to deliver mail-in ballots in this fall’s presidential election.
DeJoy defended the changes that he said were made to cut costs and have long-term efficiency benefits at an agency that stands to lose $11 billion this year, after losing $9 billion in fiscal 2019.
He told lawmakers that there “will be absolutely no issue” with mail-in ballots, noting that the Postal Service handles two to three times as much mail in a single day as it expects to handle during election week.
DeJoy also said he has ordered a pause in some changes until after Election Day “given recent customer concerns.” But the House approved legislation Saturday on a bill that would reverse recent changes in U.S. Postal Service operations and calls for $25 billion for the agency ahead of the November election.
The rare Saturday vote on the “Delivering for America Act” was blasted by Republicans, who accused Democratic leaders of manufacturing a crisis.
During a hearing on the bill Friday, Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, quoted a Wall Street Journal opinion piece criticizing “unsubstantiated” claims by Democrats that DeJoy’s moves are part of a White House conspiracy to suppress the vote.
“I agree with the Wall Street Journal editorial board,” Lesko said in the House Rules Committee hearing. “This is nothing more than a made-for-TV, phony crisis timed for the weekend TV shows and Republican convention.”
The Republican National Convention is scheduled to start Monday.
The bill has one Republican and 156 Democratic co-sponsors, including four from Arizona: Democratic Reps. Raul Grijalva of Tucson, Tom O’Halleran of Sedona, Ann Kirkpatrick of Tucson, and Greg Stanton of Phoenix.
Stanton and O’Halleran met with local leaders and community members this week, according to an emailed statement, to discuss how changes to the Postal Service have impacted their lives.
“A fully functioning Postal Service is critical to Arizonans’ lives and livelihoods,” Stanton said in the statement. “It supports small businesses and job seekers, ensures veterans and seniors get their benefits and life-saving prescription medication on time and it is a lifeline to our rural and tribal communities.”
Since DeJoy took office in June, changes at the Postal Service have included removal of blue post boxes and mail sorting machines that DeJoy said Friday had been underperforming. He had also ordered a stop to overtime pay and has reorganized agency roles.
In a press conference Tuesday, Grijalva called for the reinstatement of overtime for postal workers, no closures of facilities, no reduction of hours, or service standards. He said the service needs to be protected, noting that 60% to 70% of people in Tucson and Pima County vote by mail.
Mail-in balloting was also cited by Sinema, who said Arizona has led the country in mail-in voting and expects as much as 90% of votes cast by mail this November, around 2.4 million ballots.
Besides insisting that the service has the capacity to handle the influx of ballots, DeJoy said there will be additional resources on standby for the election and aggressive efforts to ensure the process flows smoothly and timely. He assured members that there will be no policy changes on ballots, including any closure of production plants.
Senate Republicans echoed their House colleagues Friday, defending what they called needed cost-cutting moves by DeJoy.
“It is Postmaster DeJoy’s commendable attempt to reduce those excess costs that are now being cynically used to create this false political narrative,” said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin.
According to the Graham County Elections Department, most Arizonans already vote by mail, which allows them to fill out their ballot from the comfort and safety of their home and then mail it back in or drop it off at any drop-box or voting location in the county. “Due to COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Arizona Department of Health Services, and state and county election officials recommend voting by mail, if possible,” states a pamphlet on the issue. “Voting by mail will minimize direct contact with others and help reduce crowd size at polling places.”
As with the recent recall and primary elections, Graham County’s vote centers and polling places will be open for in-person voting on election day. One can also vote early at the Graham County General Services Building, which is also home to one of the drop-off locations.
To vote by mail in Arizona, a registered voter must either request a ballot or be on the permanent mail-in voter list.
A registered voter can join the permanent early voting list or make a one-time request for a ballot-by-mail by clicking here. Locally, one can also request a ballot-by-mail through the Graham County Recorder’s Office here.
The voter registration deadline for the November General Election is Oct. 5, and the deadline for registered voters to join the permanent list or request a ballot-by-mail for the November election is Oct. 23. However, officials advise voters to perform their votes earlier than later if possible. All early ballots that are mailed must be received by the Graham County Recorder by 7 p.m. on Election Day, and postmarks do not count. To guarantee delivery, the deadline to mail in your early ballot is seven days prior to election day. One can also drop off a mail-in ballot at any vote center, polling place, or the Recorder’s Office on election day prior to 7 p.m.
Jon Johnson contributed to this report.
