A judge asks to “review” Post offices in some states to guarantee the dispatch of ballots
The United States Postal Service is transporting fewer votes by mail than it should in order for them to arrive in time to be counted in some of the key states where the outcome of the presidential election is at stake, as reported by CNN, which cites court files.
For the fifth day in a row, the voting transport process is being lower than expected, among other states in Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, New Hampshire and Maine, where all ballots that arrive after Election Day will not be counted.
According to the Postal Service, nationally, the transfer of votes on time fell on Sunday and Monday, compared to Friday, from 91 percent to 90 percent. The decline in service had first been reported on Wednesday, when it was reported to be 97 percent, according to CNN.
In the case of the Atlanta district in Georgia, less than 52 percent of the mail-in ballots were delivered on time on Sunday and Monday, while in North Carolina the figure was 69 percent, the two lowest figures. at the national level. In the case of Pennsylvania, one of the states that could tip the balance in these elections, it reached 80 percent.
From the Postal Service they clarify that not all votes sent by mail follow the normal process, but in some post offices they have been directly sealed and delivered directly to the electoral boards so that they can be included in the count. The agency has justified the delays in the distribution due to the lack of personnel due to the pandemic.
THE JUSTICE ASKS TO REVIEW OFFICES
This same Tuesday, a federal judge ordered the US Postal Service to “review” its offices to ensure that all ballots are sent and that none are left behind, according to information from the aforementioned television network.
District of Columbia Judge Emmet Sullivan has ordered Postal Service inspectors to “check” all designated facilities by 3pm in a number of states, including some of the so-called ‘hinge states.’ .
In a statement, Sullivan has clarified that the objective of this measure is “to guarantee that no vote is left behind” and to send any ballot that may have been behind before the end of the term and “immediately”.
The areas affected by these measures will be Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Colorado, Alabama, several areas of North Carolina, Florida, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as some offices in Wisconsin and Arizona.
IMPORTANCE OF VOTE BY MAIL
Voting by mail has acquired a particular importance in these elections, since many citizens have chosen this route due to the restrictions due to the coronavirus. According to the US Election Project, a total of 64.5 million votes have been cast by mail, out of the total of more than 100 million Americans who have voted early before Election Day.
Precisely in Pennsylvania, as reported Tuesday by Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar, more than 2.5 million of the votes by mail have been returned, which is more than 81 percent of the more than three million sent in the state .
On Monday, authorities in Philadelphia, the largest city in the state, announced that the recount could “easily take several days” as more than 400,000 votes by mail have been cast for this election.
In an open letter to city voters, Mayor Jim Kenney and Commissioner Lisa Deeley recalled that mail-in and early ballots could not begin to be counted until 7:00 a.m. on November 3, so there will be ballots to be counted after election night.
