Postal Service cuts could interfere with elections, delay ballots

[Geee]

Daily Caller:

WASHINGTON – With Congress debating plans to shut down post offices and possibly eliminate Saturday mail delivery, some election officials are worried that bringing the U.S. Postal Service out of the red could harm election procedures — perhaps even in time for the November 2012 presidential election.

In November the Postal Service announced it lost $5.1 billion in fiscal 2011, not including the mandated $5.5 billion owed to the federal government to prefund retiree health benefit payments.

For the service to return to profitability, it must cut $20 billion by 2015.

Senate legislation would protect Saturday service for the next two years, but a House bill would permit a reduction to five-day-per-week mail delivery six months after enactment. The Postal Service has said it intends to cut Saturday service unless Congress requires it to continue.

Steve Monteith, the Postal Service’s manager of transaction correspondence, said taking away Saturday delivery or shutting post office doors could force election officials to send ballots out a day earlier to make sure they arrive on time.

California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, co-sponsored the House bill. The service’s financial losses, he said, put elections at risk.

“Fundamental reforms are needed to protect the financial viability of the United States Postal Service, including its services that are integral to voting,” Issa said.

[clearvision]

Steve Monteith, the Postal Service’s manager of transaction correspondence, said taking away Saturday delivery or shutting post office doors could force election officials to send ballots out a day earlier to make sure they arrive on time.

Oh my! The horror.

[Pepper]

clearvision! The USPS union heads could go ahead and complete all the ballots with a big D and send directly to the Office of Elections

[Casino67]

Steve Monteith, the Postal Service’s manager of transaction correspondence, said taking away Saturday delivery or shutting post office doors could force election officials to send ballots out a day earlier to make sure they arrive on time.

Oh my! The horror.

 

What a concept, mail arriving on time.

[Pepper]

casino67!

 

They are cutting out next day service in an effort to save $$.

 

Imagine that. A delivery service eliminating timely delivery.

 

Why not just eliminate all delivery?

 

That would save big $$.

[Argyle58]

This will make for a great excuse for deployed military personnel to get their ballots too late to count. Since they tend to predominately vote Republican, I'm sure that the Thug in Chief's staff will take that into consideration.