WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that he is intentionally withholding money from the Postal Service to undermine its ability to process vote-by-mail in the 2020 presidential election.
"They need that money for the Post Office to function and to receive all these millions and millions of ballots," Trump said on Fox Business of the states that are implementing universal vote-by-mail. "But if they don't get those two elements, that means they can't have universal vote by mail, because they aren't equipped to do so."
Trump has been attacking voting by mail for months as prone to fraud, although that is how he voted in these primaries and although there is no evidence that that is true , Amber McReynolds, one of the leading experts on vote by mail, told Noticias Telemundo. in the country.
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This will be an election marked by the coronavirus pandemic, which will (and already has, during the primary votes) make the vote by mail historically high: In some states, it will multiply up to 10 times, McReynolds said.
That, coupled with the Postal Service's billions of dollars in debt, his inexperienced leadership, and most of all, President Trump's attacks, create a very real possibility that the Postal Service will overflow this November.
The troubled agency in fact said in hearings in front of Congress in recent days that it could run out of funds as early as September, just two months before the vote. For this reason, the postal workers union launched a campaign asking citizens to call their representatives in Congress to intercede for them.
Although up to 70% of the vote is expected to be cast by mail and groups like the Center for Bipartisan Politics say there is no massive electoral fraud in the US, that does not convince Republicans, who, led by Trump, accuse the media to act in collusion with Democrats and seek to cut funds from the Post for its operations.
Trump also said last Monday that the USPS has "very old equipment" and that it has had to handle a considerable increase in the volume of deliveries it makes daily since the pandemic began, since online purchases, from sites like Amazon , has shot up.
“This is a tremendous burden on the Postal Service. The Postal Service loses a fortune, and it has for many, many years, for decades, ”he said.
[Trump suggests delaying the presidential election]
The president, however, did not mention that his own administration had blocked the $ 25 billion Congress approved for the USPS last March, offering instead $ 10 billion in loans in exchange for the agency to initiate reforms.
Cuts, delays, and debt
In his attacks, Trump also failed to mention that a major Republican donor, a loyal supporter of the president, and now postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, has taken steps to cut spending that mail carriers say have already led to mail delivery delays.
DeJoy, a North Carolina executive, has donated more than $ 2 million to Republican campaigns since 2016, and on July 13, he put in place measures, according to him, to reduce USPS debt of $ 160.9 billion, he estimated. the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Some of those changes include eliminating overtime pay, cutting machine operations that organize mail, and requiring postmen to leave mail they can't deliver on their daily shifts until the next day.
How prepared is the United States for voting by mail in this presidential election?
July 25, 202001: 57The House Oversight and Reforms Committee called DeJoy to a hearing on September 17 to explain the changes he has implemented.
It's true what Trump says about the USPS's exorbitant debt: The agency faces financial losses that have accumulated for more than a decade, and it runs a budget deficit that prevents it from covering its expenses.
Is that, the change to a digital age has led the USPS to register a large decrease in mail volume. That added to a failed business model, DeJoy said recently, and warned of an "imminent liquidity crisis."
But the president of the Union of American Mail Carriers, Mark Dimondstein, told reporters that customers have complained of delays of at least two days in mail delivery, raising concerns about significant delays in November.
“They are asking us, in some situations, to delay the mail; there are changes in the transport of the mail and in the schedules of the postmen… this worries us a lot. Our front line mail carriers and customers themselves are complaining about delays ”in the last two weeks, Dimondstein explained to MSNBC, Telemundo's sister network.
When asked the reason for the changes, Dimondstein pointed to the known "hostility" of the Trump Administration and its desire to privatize the postal service. He added that DeJoy would do well to remember that the USPS is not a "business" but a "democratic service for all Americans," whether they live in remote and rural areas or in large cities.
The USPS said in a statement that it has seen delays from the coronavirus pandemic, particularly in mail to and from China and Europe, due to flight cancellations and other restrictions.
Polarization in Washington catches up with the Post Office
Democrats and like-minded groups accuse the Trump Administration and its allies that behind their attacks on the USPS is a blatant attempt to suppress the vote of minorities such as Latinos and Blacks, who tend to vote Democrats. They are accused of doing so by promoting misinformation about voting by mail, circulating falsehoods about non-existent fraud, and using government institutions to erect barriers and prevent more people from voting.
What do Trump and his supporters say, and why do they claim that universal vote-by-mail lends itself to massive fraud?
Ballot Processing Manager Jerelyn Hampton sorts ballots by party for the presidential primary in the King County election in Renton, Wash., On March 10, 2020. Photo by Jason Redmond / AFP via Getty Images
“No one is against voting in advance, voting by mail, or absentee voting. There is a problem in which unsolicited ballots are sent universally, ”Alfonso Franco, a Republican strategist, told Noticias Telemundo.
There is no way to verify if people are eligible, especially if they move or have died, he added.
Like Trump, Franco criticized that some primary winners in New York have not yet been known due to disputes over mail-in ballots, or that Nevada plans to automatically mail ballots to all of its voters, even if they haven't asked for them. .
Postal mail defends itself
Speaking to Noticias Telemundo, Martha Johnson, a USPS spokesperson, reiterated that, according to CEO DeJoy, the agency's financial condition will not affect the processing or delivery of electoral and political mail , even if there is a large volume of votes for mail due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"As we have said repeatedly, Congress and the Postal Regulatory Commission must adopt legislative and regulatory reforms to help correct this situation," and that USPS can continue to meet customer needs, he said.
The agency, which finances its operations with what it collects in services, will only be able to survive if it offers efficient, fast, reasonably priced and high-quality service, he said.
Johnson said the USPS will monitor any impact on the mail service, and take necessary corrective action.
On the other hand, the postal service has said that it has an "efficient and secure" process so that citizens can receive unfettered information from their candidates and special interest groups, and can also participate in the elections.
62% of Latino youth consider that their vote will be decisive in the November elections
Aug. 6, 202002: 45“The Postal Service is committed to delivering election mail in a timely manner. We use a robust and verified process to ensure proper handling of all election mail, including ballot papers, ”stated the USPS.
Tips for voters
The USPS has made it clear that voters also have to do their part: They need to understand all the requirements in their constituencies for the timely delivery of early ballot papers.
For example, voters have to make sure they use First-Class Mail services, or even pay more for faster service to return their ballot-by-mail ballots. Typically, envelopes with first-class stamps take between two and five days to reach their destination, says the USPS.
Voters should also request their absentee ballot as soon as possible, and at least 15 days before the election date.
If the voters are within the country, then they must return the ballots by mail at least one week before the deadline set by the authorities in their state.
The group Vote.org has put together a list that explains both the deadline for requesting the ballots and the deadline for the ballots to be properly stamped by USPS and mailed in time to count towards the election date.