The US Postal Service has said it will stop taking letter collection boxes off streets in some Western states following accusations that their removal would hamper some voters from mailing their completed ballots.
The sorting machines
The overtime
The 23 top officials removed
And more
There’s lots of good left to do. Including DeJoy’s appearance before Congress.
This is about fair and free elections in the United States of America
I was a letter carrier for about seven years. The retail suppression of ballots on the return trip from voters is a smaller problem. The real way to keep people from voting is to prevent them from getting a ballot in the first place, by instituting wholesale delays in the distribution of ballots from elections offices. That’s where to be looking for the meddling. Make sure ballot delivery to voters never happens, or is too late for ballots to be returned in time.
And his subsequent Indictment and time in jail.
I hope this has voters angry enough to vote however they can best do it, in person or by early voting or dropping the ballot at the local Board of Elections or in a drop-box. Or, worst case, by going to vote in person on November 3. It may be more dangerous than voting by USPS, but just think how dangerous having Trump for four more years will be.
Not in the congressmens district but I know he’s a fighter and glad to see him back in action after a surprising medical condition side lined him for a minute.
" U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) tonight made a criminal referral to New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal seeking the empaneling of a state grand jury to look at electoral subversion by Donald Trump, U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, and other possible Trump administration officials in their accelerating arson of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Earlier today, Governor Phil Murphy issued an executive order that will make the state’s November General Election conducted mostly by mail ballot."
https://pascrell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4428
I am hoping for an injunction preventing any further changes in USPS until after the election. If DeJoy was seriously interested in making efficiency changes to USPS, he would simply delay for 90 days. After all, he has until January 20.
Hilarious (in a good way) was Pascrell animately defending the Post Office (I was in tears almost, listening to him). And then talking about what he was GOING TO DO about the problem.
The hilarious part was the combination of Ali (subbing for Lawrence) trying to juggle what was simultaneously a bad audio connection, another guest and what was assuredly a commercial break on the horizon.
He was able to fit in the guest from Colorado and get her perspective on the problem…but, in cutting away from Bill, Pascrell was obviously frustrated with not finishing all he had to say.
I was happy with what I saw and heard, though 
Laugh for the day
“Maine’s hapless Senator drew immediate jeers online for her 'concerns.”
" Susan Collins Expresses ‘Concerns’ Over Delays In Mail Delivery "
U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 says
“[Congress shall have Power . . .] To establish Post Offices and post Roads; . . .”
This is such an important government function that should it not be susceptible to partisan exploitation.
Obvious, I know.
I am probably being paranoid, but putting the drop boxes back (or not removing them) could accomplish two things:
Give us a false sense of security
Put the mailed-in ballots in a place where they can be sorted (e.g., by zip code) and destroyed or not, depending on the likelihood of a vote from that zip code being red or blue.
But that couldn’t happen here.
I am concerned that Collins has effectively destroyed a perfectly good word in the English language by over use, misuse, and abuse.
My doc uses “concerning” to describes something in my blood work he doesn’t like. I might have to ask him to use some other word now.
There are remedies for this. Whether we choose to use them is on us.
I share your concern…
There are several states like mine in WA that have 100% vote-by-mail and have had it for years. Each county in our state has a location for in-person voting, but there is no way to expand that to allow everyone to vote in person who would want to. The way we vote is either by putting the return ballot in our mailbox, or taking it to one of the drop box locations in the county if we don’t trust the USPS. Voting in person just isn’t an option.
This point has to be hammered home over and over. Trump is messing with an existing electoral system in many states that require the USPS to function properly! It’s a point of leverage that more people should be using to fight this attempt to defraud voters.
It’s also going to backfire, because it’s going to hurt Republican voters just as much as Dem voters, but apparently that doesn’t matter. The idea is to sow chaos and confusion so Trump can call the election rigged when he loses.
What about all the boxes already removed? What about the 50+ sorting machines already disassembled and trashed? Just stopping the actions is not enough. It seems waiting for the election to correct these issues is not a good idea.
I am not feeling secure, and I am going to deliver my mail-in ballot personally. So there’s that.
Pearls have probably lost their gloss they’ve been clutched so much.
Sure.
They’ll stop taking away the boxes.
But postal workers will be forbidden to pick up any mail from them.
