Carper, Colleagues Call For Disclosure Of Postal Service Plan To Maintain Integrity Of U.S. Election Infrastructure Ahead of Anticipated Influx of Mail-In Ballots During November 2020 Elections

Senate Dems To Postmaster General DeJoy: “Disclose Plan To Ensure Postal Service Preparedness And Integrity Of Vote-By-Mail Systems Ahead Of November 2020 Elections”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) joined Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) yesterday to send a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy requesting information on established plans and steps taken by the Postal Service to prepare for the influx of election mail caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Senate Democrats emphasize that the Postal Service plays a critical role in preserving the integrity of the U.S. election process, especially as the coronavirus pandemic threatens public health and safety and presents unique challenges to election administration, necessitating the increased use of alternative voting measures.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued interim guidance warning that large crowds and longer wait times at certain polling locations heighten the risk of COVID-19 spread and recommending that election officials offer and voters use alternative voting methods to in-person voting that minimize direct contact and reduce crowd size at polling locations.

The success of mail voting is dependent a number of federal, state, and local entities working in coordination. If mail ballots arrive late and are uncounted, some voters may be disenfranchised. Given these concerns, Senate Democrats request the Postal Service regularly brief Congress on the steps it has and plans to take to address the challenges posed by an increase in election mail during the 2020 election, and answers to a series of key questions related to election mail.

Senate Democrats’ letter to Postmaster General DeJoy can be found here.