Thursday, October 22, 2020

USPS Ordered to Restore High-Speed Machines for Election Mail


A Federal Judge Ordered the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to Restore High-Speed Mail-Sorting Machines at any Facilities that are Unable to Process First Class Election Mail Quickly Enough, a Major concern for States as the Postal Agency continues to Struggle with Service Performance.

The Order, late Thursday Oct. 22nd, by U.S. District Judge, Emmet Sullivan, in Washington is a Win for a Group of States that Successfully Sued USPS and Trump to Halt a Series of Operational Changes that Hobbled the Postal Service just before an Expected Surge in use of Mail-in-Ballots during the Pandemic.

At Struggling Facilities, “available processing equipment will be restored to service to ensure that USPS can comply with its prior policy of delivering election mail in accordance with First Class delivery standards,” the Judge said.

The Order was intended to Clarify a Sept. 27th Injunction Targeting the Operational Changes Instituted by Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, a Major Trump Donor who took the Helm at USPS earlier this year. USPS had asked the Judge to Clarify the Scope of the Order, arguing that the Massive Sorting Machines DeJoy Ordered taken Apart over the Summer couldn’t be put Together again.

Sullivan acknowledged the USPS concern that Reassembling All such machines “may not be possible,” but Ordered it done anyway at any Facility that can’t keep up with Delivery Election Mail, such as Mail Ballots, as First Class Mail.

In a Pennsylvania Case, a Judge on Wednesday Denied the State’s Request to Appoint an Independent Monitor to Ensure the USPS followed through on its Court-Ordered Commitments.

DeJoy’s Changes included: Bans on Employee Overtime and Late Delivery Trips that Helped ensured Delivery of Millions of Pieces of Mail, as well as a Policy to Disassemble Hundreds of Mail-Sorting Machines, a Change that Particularly Hit High Density Urban areas that lean Democratic.

One Federal Judge said it was “easy to conclude” that the Changes were Intended to Disrupt and Challenge the Legitimacy of the Nov. 3rd Election.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker


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