An official with the U.S. Postal Service said Wednesday that the agency is working to process and deliver absentee ballots to be counted in time for the Nov. 5 election, but she encouraged voters to mail their ballots early.
The Postal Service is taking “extraordinary measures” to ensure ballots are processed and transported on time for this year’s election, such as adding extra deliveries and collections of absentee ballots, Adrienne Marshall, the Postal Service’s director of election and government mail services, said during an online news conference Wednesday.
For parts of the country devastated by hurricane damage, Marshall said the Postal Service has maintained close contact with election officials across Georgia, Florida and North Carolina.
“We work with the election officials, and the election officials are also putting measures in place to ensure that voters have the opportunity to vote, whether it’s through mail or through other means in those impacted areas,” said Steve Monteith, executive vice president of the Postal Service.
Georgia voters have until Friday to request an absentee ballot for this year’s general election. So far, over 125,000 absentee ballots have been accepted, a stark contrast from the 1.3 million votes cast by mail in the 2020 election when mail-in voting took off in popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We encourage those who choose to vote by mail to please mail early,” Marshall said.
Concerned voting rights advocates are urging Georgians to vote in person, especially in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and the ongoing mailing delays.
“We do not recommend, at this point, that voters put their ballot in the postal system — we think they need to return it to a drop box or they need to go into an early vote center and cancel their mail-in vote and vote in person because of the postal delays,” said Lauren Groh-Wargo, CEO of the Democratic voting rights organization Fair Fight Action.
State laws limiting absentee drop box locations passed in the wake of the 2020 presidential election could be playing a role in the decrease in absentee voting, Groh-Wargo said.
This year voters must submit absentee ballots by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5, for their ballots to be counted as they arrive. Absentee ballots received before Nov. 4 will be tabulated within one hour of polls closing.
Georgia’s congressional delegation has criticized Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for the ongoing mailing delays, with some federal lawmakers pressuring him to step down. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., introduced legislation in September that would set term limits on the postmaster general and require Senate confirmation for the position.
“Ensuring the integrity of absentee ballots is crucial for maintaining trust in the democratic process,” Georgia’s House Republicans wrote in a letter to DeJoy in September. “Voting is a sacred right and the most important tool in shaping our republic. The USPS plays a crucial role in processing mail-in ballots during elections and is tasked with working closely with local and state election officials to ensure the secure delivery of absentee ballots.”
About the Author
