*Postmaster Gen. DeJoy Apologizes for Missteps, As Courts in PA & WA Back Broad Mail- In Voting: NYT
'As Courts Back Broad Mail-In Voting, DeJoy Apologizes for Missteps.' Postmaster General Louis DeJoy privately apologized to election officials for failing to consult about a postcard that was sent to educate voters on mail-in ballots. New York Times, Sept. 17, 2020. Ed:
Courts on both sides of the U.S. issued rulings on Thursday that could expand mail-in voting in the election in November, as the postmaster general privately apologized to state officials for missteps in his agency’s efforts to educate voters on mail-in ballots. In Pennsylvania, the state Supreme Court paved the way for more mail-in ballots to be counted by extending the due date they must be received by election officials and allowing expanded use of drop boxes. In Washington State, a federal judge blocked operational and policy changes made by the Postal Service in recent months that have slowed mail delivery and amounted to “voter disenfranchisement.”
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who instituted those changes, conceded during a video conference with election officials on Thursday afternoon that he had failed to adequately consult with state election officials on a postcard that was sent to addresses nationwide to educate voters about mail-in ballots. The apology came as some state election officials had publicly clashed with the Postal Service over mail voting, including accusing Mr. DeJoy and his team of deliberately providing misinformation about how to vote by mail.
Taken together, the developments were a victory for Democrats and others pushing to expand mail voting before an election in which record use of the practice is expected because of the coronavirus pandemic. They also came on a day that began with President Trump repeating his frequent attacks on voting by mail, which he and his allies have been falsely claiming is ripe for fraud. In a post labeled by Twitter as misleading, the president claimed the results of the election might “NEVER BE ACCURATELY DETERMINED” because of mail-in ballots. “Stop Ballot Madness!” he said.
In the video conference Mr. DeJoy struck a starkly different tone. He defended the postcard as a good-faith effort “to encourage voters to inform themselves on how to vote by mail effectively,” even as he conceded that he had failed to “give you a heads-up to see the mailer in advance.” “We will do better next time.” Mr. DeJoy, a major Trump donor who had been accused by Democrats of helping the president try to sabotage the mail vote, sought to distance himself from Mr. Trump’s language and that of other members of his administration.
Secretary of State Jena Griswold of Colorado, who had sued Mr. DeJoy over the postcard, pressed him during the video conference about his “specific plan to address the misinformation coming from the administration” about voting by mail...
More, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/17/us/politics/usps-louis-dejoy.html
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'Secretaries of State Slam DeJoy Over Election Mailer,' Politico, Sept. 17, 2020.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/17/secretaries-of-state-slam-dejoy-over-election-mailer-417346
State election officials butted heads with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on a private call Thursday, amid worries about how the embattled U.S. Postal Service is preparing to deal with a dramatic increase in voting by mail this November.
DeJoy spoke to dozens of secretaries of state, election officials and postal officials in a call arranged by the National Association of Secretaries of State, a bipartisan group that includes officials across the country. At issue was a mailer that the USPS recently started sending to every American household providing basic information about the mail voting process — but the information within doesn’t fit with certain states’ election rules, potentially confusing voters...
- A voter dropped off a mail-in ballot in Willow Grove, Pa., in May. The state’s Supreme Court ruled for the expanded use of drop boxes for mail ballots and an extend mail-in voting deadline. (Credit Matt Rourke/AP).
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