But a little-noticed Postal Service policy actually prohibits USPS workers from serving as witnesses. With more voters than ever wanting to vote by post this year, that came as a surprise to election officials.
Reid Magney, a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Electoral Commission, said that because of the increase in the vote for mail-in votes in the run-up to last year, state election officials suggested voters request observations of stay-at-home homes letter carriers to witness their ballots.
“We did not ask the Post Office that you people can do this, or whatever,” Magney said. “We thought, well, they are there – I had no idea they had policies on this.”
Daniel Bentley, a specialty product manager for the Postal Service in Washington, DC, responded to Fenumiai that day in an email exchange received by CNN.
“Postmen are prohibited from serving as witnesses in their official capacity while on duty, in part because of the potential operational consequences. The postal service does not prohibit an employee from witnessing in their personal capacity off-duty, if they so choose. , “Bentley wrote.
James Boxrud, a spokesman for the Postal Service in the western United States, told the Anchorage paper, “My understanding is that this is a national thing that came out. It’s not just Alaska.”
Boxrud also provided the paper with a copy of a training slide presented to clerks in July. The slide states in part, “Some state laws specifically authorize Postal Service employees to provide a witness signature on ballot papers. However, performing this function is not within the scope of a postal employee’s duties and is not mandatory. by the regulations of the Postal Service. “
Marti Johnson, senior election and political representative for the USPS, told CNN in an email that “the guidance has not changed this year.” Johnson did not elaborate on when the witness policy was first introduced.
Sheli DeLaney, a voter from Juneau, said she encountered the problem while trying to mail back her absent vote this week.
“I live alone, I work most of the time from home, I do not have so many people passing by, and the time was short, so I took it to the post office. I think this would be the most legitimate choice anyway, in case that someone would check the absent votes and try to discredit them, “she said in an interview with CNN on Thursday.
Delaney said workers at her local USPS office “refused” to sign her vote. “They said they were not allowed and not much more,” Delaney said. Instead, she got someone in line to be her witness.
North Carolina election officials told CNN on Thursday they did not know there was a witness policy.
The state normally requires two witnesses, but because of Covid-19, the number has been reduced to one. North Carolina Board of Elections Public Information Officer Patrick Gannon told CNN on Thursday that postal workers were allowed by state law to sign as witnesses and were unaware that USPS did not allow this.
CNN’s Dianne Gallagher contributed to this report.
.
