The Patch
August 15, 2020
BOSTON — U.S. senators and members of Congress from Massachusetts have accused President Donald Trump’s administration of voter suppression following cost-cutting and efficiency measures ordered by the Trump-appointed new postmaster general.
The U.S. Postal Service has warned 46 states and the District of Columbia it cannot guarantee all ballots cast by mail for the November election will arrive in time to be counted.
Massachusetts was among the 46 states to receive the warning, the Washington Post reported.
Even as Trump rails against widescale voting by mail, the Postal Service is bracing for an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time that the need for timely delivery of the mail is peaking, service has been curtailed amid cost-cutting and efficiency measures ordered by Postmaster Louis DeJoy.
DeJoy’s cost-cutting moves delayed the delivery of mail by as much as a week in certain parts of the country, and an order to decommission 10 percent of the Postal Service’s sorting machines caused Democrats from the Massachusetts delegation to sound the alarm.
“We have to see the blatant attacks on our Postal Service from Donald Trump and Louis DeJoy for what they are: An attempt to silence the people and undermine our democracy,” Warren tweeted Friday.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley urged Massachusetts residents to get their mail-in ballots in as soon as possible to make sure their votes count.
“Republicans are trying to steal this election,” Pressley tweeted. “We can stop them. Request your mail in ballot right now and return it ASAP.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that mail-in ballots will lead to widespread voter fraud. He said he’s opposed to emergency funding for the Postal Service because it would allow more Democrats to cast ballots and hurt Republican candidates.
“They need that money in order to make the post office work, so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots,” Trump said during an interview with Fox Business Network. “If we don’t make a deal, that means they don’t get the money. That means they can’t have universal mail-in voting. They just can’t have it.”
Rep. Stephen Lynch called out Trump’s opposition to mail-in voting, calling the U.S. Postal Service “the most respected and trusted agency in our government.”
“Americans depend on the postal service,” Lynch said. “We will fight back against any attempts to politicize and weaken the excellent service they provide every day to citizens across our country.”
Rep. Joe Kennedy criticized Trump’s decision, since the president himself has requested a mail-in ballot to vote in the Florida primaryon Tuesday.
“If a man impeached for trying to steal an election can vote by mail, you can too,” Kennedy tweeted.
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