Well, at least the U.S. Postal Service has been able to resolve one dispute in the several that have emerged around its ability to handle this year’s surge in vote-by-mail.
USPS reached a settlement with Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold— who had gone to court to stop the delivery of confusing absentee voting guidance the postal service was sending — ahead of a hearing scheduled Friday morning in the case.
Under the settlement, USPS will destroy whatever is left of the mailers that had not yet been sent out to Colorado voters. U.S. District Judge William J. Martinez had previously blocked the USPS from sending out more mailers, but by the time he had done so, as many as 2.4 million had been delivered to Coloradans.
As part of the settlement, the agency also agreed to seek input from Colorado’s election officials for any future guidance it gives the public on vote-by-mail, including on any campaign planned for television, radio, print or other media.
USPS had enraged Colorado election officials, and officials in other states, by sending nationwide mailers purporting to give Americans general advice about how to vote by mail. The guidance ran afoul of the specific policies of some states. For instance, it mentioned the need for voters to request absentee ballots, even though several states, including Colorado, proactively send out mail ballots to their voters. The timeline the USPS mailers advised for requesting and sending in mail ballots was also not in line with the standards set forth by certain states.
Embattled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told secretaries of state Thursday that it was USPS’s “intent” to give them a “heads-up to see the mailer in advance.” But by the time the mailer was provided to election officials for review, it was already being delivered in households.
Read the settlement docs below:
Regardless, I hope DeJoy goes to DaJail.
Of course, because the confusion has already been sown and the mailers will go out in other parts of the country. We’ll consult if we’re thinking of “helping” any more in Colorado.
DeJoy is coming to the table only because he’s getting his ass handed to him in every lawsuit, to date, filed against the USPS under his disgraceful leadership.
This official in Colorado rocks. More power to her and more like her, please.
Terminal stupidity to even think that there is a ‘one size fits all’ way to approach voting. It arguably would be a good thing to have, but anyone who plans to send out a presumptuous mailer purporting to give guidance damn well should know the laws that apply where they’re sending the material. I would guess they were trying to create some confusion and anxiety but didn’t have a clue as to just how stupid they were being.