The Post Office has been ordered to obstruct voting by mail.

[Voltaire2]

I went to my post office this morning to hand in my absentee ballot and the clerk informed me that they have been ordered to NOT process absentee ballots directly (by transferring them to the town clerks office directly) but must instead process them as regular mail. transferring them to the regional processing center.

The only reason for this order is delay and obstruct voting.

I am fucking furious.

[sarcasmo]

1. Dropped my ballot off at the city clerks, election drop box.

[mr_lebowski]

2. Do you know for sure that the previous policy was to transfer them directly in past elections? (nt)

[Voltaire2]

11. yes.

[mr_lebowski]

37. Thanks. Then this is pretty f'ed up. Any idea what can be done? (nt)

[LeftInTX]

21. In Bexar County, Texas the post offices are separating mail ballots from regular mail

And are sending them directly to the elections office and bypassing the main post office for sorting.

Obviously if someone is sending a mail ballot to another county or state etc, they can't do this.
I think we have 28 post offices here, so it takes one truck per day from each post office to deliver them to the elections office. Pretty good deal!

[Midnight Writer]

33. We did when I worked for the Post Office.

[KS Toronado]

3. Thank goodness the clerk informed you, I'd have made arrangements to hand deliver.

[triron]

4. Where are you? Contact your Senator maybe or congress person.

Contact the media!

[peacebuzzard]

5. In my county there is not a ballot drop box.

You cannot even walk in to the county election commission with your ballot.
It has to go by US mail.

I am voting early, and in-person. I do not trust the system here.

[CurtEastPoint]

6. I don't think this has ever been the policy of the USPS. Please check and verify.

Their job is to deliver stamped mail

[gristy]

10. Correct. The OP is a false flag.

[Voltaire2]

14. um bullshit.

The PO clerk herself informed me that this was a change in policy, that previously they had transferred all absentee ballots directly from the post office to the town clerk.

Thanks anyway though.

[LeftInTX]

24. They are presorting ballots at the local post offices in Bexar County

The ballots are being sent directly to the elections office and are bypassing the sorting facility

[Voltaire2]

31. I just got back from the town clerk's office.

She said the postmaster came in this morning and informed them that the post office was no longer directly transferring the ballots, and that they should expect an increase in in-person drop off and a delay in ballot delivery.

She was not happy.

[LiberalArkie]

19. In small towns, they will sort locally and then deliver.

But larger post offices probably send all to the regional sorting.

My whole county is only 10 thousand people and I think about 5 postoffices maybe a few more,

[LisaL]

7. Does your state have drop boxes?

NT

[Voltaire2]

32. nope. Not allowed.

[gristy]

8. No. That the USPS should be doing what you are suggesting is surely false.

Regular mail. That is all that is needed and expected and promised.

[Voltaire2]

15. This is a local post office in a small town.

And in prior elections, including our primary in September, they processed all absentee ballots locally.

[Sogo]

26. How "small" of a small town?

In my small town, the courthouse is three blocks from the Post Office. No way would I take it to the PO, when I could take it directly to the courthouse....

[Voltaire2]

27. Small enough that there is one post office and the town clerk is only open 2.5 days a week.

The only reason for the order to not expedite ballots is to obstruct the vote.

[CrispyQ]

9. Call your rep & senators, your local democratic office, & your local media stations.

Please make these calls! Post on FB, Nextdoor, wherever, & let people know!

[LisaL]

22. Know what?

That post office is treating ballots as mail?

[Codeine]

12. They deliver mail as mail.

It’s not reasonable to expect direct delivery without moving through a processing center. Besides, the election is a month away — you’ve got time.

If you’re worried drop it directly at the clerk’s office yourself.

[Voltaire2]

16. Of course it is.

There is zero reason in a small town to move local mail to a regional center to have it shipped back to the same local post office.

But I'll go with the Post Office clerk who stated it was a change in policy ordered by the PO administration.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

25. That sort of thing happens all the time with regular mail.

I live in Santa Fe, and my understanding that something mailed in Santa Fe to be delivered to a Santa Fe address goes to Albuquerque to be processed. And always has.

You have dropped your ballot off a month before election day. I think you have nothing to worry about. Does your state allow you to track your ballot?

[CloudWatcher]

34. This change happened several years ago here.

Our local PO used to have two drop-offs, one for "local" mail and one for "out of town" mail.

A few years ago they merged them. Now all mail goes to Denver for processing and then (if appropriate) comes back.

I was initially puzzled, but then assumed it was due to security. They wanted all the mail to go through the giant sorting machines in Denver ... to get pictures of them.

Still a stupid reason, but at least there was a reason.

[maxsolomon]

18. I always thought our ballots in WA were processed as mail. Never gave it a 2nd thought.

We used to have to put postage on them because that was what it took to get Republican cooperation in passing the system through the State Senate. Now we don't, because the state GOP has even less power now than it did then.

The election is 4+ weeks away. Any ballot that goes through the mail now, with 1st class postage, is going to make it there in plenty of time.

[lagomorph777]

13. Bring it to your town clerk yourself. Don't let DeJerk touch it.

[ecstatic]

17. I didn't know that was possible

to just drop it off at the post office? I guess it's a good thing I didn't know, now that it's no longer allowed. lol

[Voltaire2]

20. oh please read more carefully

You could always and still can drop off your ballot at the post office. My local small town post office has been ordered to stop processing ballots directly and instead ship them off to the regional center. T

[ecstatic]

29. Ok. I thought you were referring to dropping

off at the PO with no stamp.

[LisaL]

23. You can go to the post office to have it send as regular mail.

Post office is not the same as an official ballot drop off box.

[Vivienne235729]

28. Oh wow. That is terrible!!

[Maru Kitteh]

30. Mine is going straight to the county ballot collection box

I'll support the post office some other way.

[cry baby]

35. Kick for visibility

[WyattKansas]

36. Funny how Republicans always claim to be spreading democracy around the world,

Using democracy as an excuse for a war, and deregulating everything for our democracy, but Republicans immediately slam into strict regulated Republic mode when it comes to allowing their own Citizens vote.