US Prepares for Postal Collapse – Fears Election Chaos – NRK Urix – Foreign News & Documentaries

– I will vote by mail, I already asked for the ballot, says Matt Kaplan (33).

NRK meets him outside the local post office in Germantown in the important state of Pennsylvania, one of the states that can help decide American elections. Due to the corona pandemic, many are expected to do what he does.

– I can’t understand how it can be safe to vote when we’ve been locked in our homes for the past six months to avoid people, says Kaplan, who is afraid of getting sick.

The coronary pandemic has caused nearly 200,000 deaths in the United States, and infection rates remain high. Many are expected to vote by mail in the November 3 presidential election. Of the menBig problems with the postal service create concerns that it will affect voting.

The U.S. Postal Service is struggling

– I will appear at the electoral college. Clearly things are not in order now. Sorry for the postal workers, says Tabithi Anderson in front of her local post office in Germantown.

Customers we meet outside the post office tell us about long queues and delays at the post office. They are frustrated. The postal service is currently in a serious crisis.

This spring, President Donald Trump appointed a new director of the postal service. Louis DeJoy banned postman overtime and put sorting machines out of service.

At the same time, he is one of those who has donated money to the Trump election campaign. In the United States, the postal service has therefore become a fiery political issue. In August, Congress held a hearing on the issue.

Most of those who plan to vote by mail vote democratically. Democrats believe Trump is campaigning to sabotage the election by manipulating the postal service. The president himself says he fears widespread electoral fraud due to the many votes by mail.

The union leader warns

In Philadelphia, we met union leader Nick Caselli, who represents more than 1,500 postal workers. He cautions that the situation has not improved since the hearing, although Louis DeJoy said he put the changes made until after the election.

– Immediately after the hearing, the problems stopped, but in the last few days I have received photos of mail that should have been sent, but which is still waiting, says Caselli, and shows photos of delayed mail that he has received from employees at the mail.

They count cars leaving the post office empty because they are ordered to leave on time, and mail being piled up and late.

– These are people’s medicines. Here are more posts. Look at all this mail, he says desperately, adding that he has not experienced anything like it in his many years of career in the postal service.

According to Caselli, the problems began after the new director of the position began to work. You think the boss is looking for one thing: to delay registration. Hence, he has given DeJoy the nickname “Delay”.

NRK has tried to get an interview with Louis De Joy and the United States Postal Service, but received a response that they are not granting interviews at this time.

Federal judge sets foot

– He was handpicked. This is fixed. It’s a show they’ve done for American audiences, says Nick Caselli.

He is angry and fears that the problems in the postal service will affect the conduct of the elections.

– We will continue fighting until the end. DeJoy is here for one thing, and one thing only; to create riots and chaos during the November 3 elections. This is how Trump has an argument if he loses. You know, “take it to the Supreme Court.” He will create all kinds of chaos when he loses the election, says the union leader.

A federal judge before the weekend ordered the postal service to keep the cars while there is mail to be loaded, ruling that all election-related mail must be treated as Priority Mail.

In addition, the postal service is requested to reinstall any mail processing machines that are necessary to ensure prompt handling of election mail.

The postal service says they will now consider their legal possibilities after the verdict.

Lash district in Lash state

A little further south in Bucks County, they are preparing for a huge increase in the number of votes by mail. Many states, like Pennsylvania, have made voting by mail easier this year.

– I think everyone thought it would be popular in the long run, so we started to prepare a bit with the postcards, but then the pandemic came. It really sped up the process, says Bob Harvey, who is the Bucks County constituency chief and responsible for conducting elections there.

Pennsylvania in general, and this constituency in particular, are places that many will follow before the election. This is a rock district in a rock state. Sometimes he goes the way of the Democrats, other times the way of the Republicans.

Harvey says that interest in voting by mail is now huge and that many people are requesting ballots by mail, as is the case in the state. The schemes are different in the United States and some even ship them all.

– It’s a very, very big change for Pennsylvania. We have never handled this many votes by mail before, he explains.

Electoral districts make large investments

Due to the pandemic, they are now investing heavily to increase preparedness. When NRK visits, they are preparing to receive a large counting machine worth around NOK 200 million.

They have also hired 15 new employees. All with money from the crown crisis.

Of the up to 400,000 eligible voters, they hope that half or more will be able to vote early.

Bob Harvey feels he is in control, but acknowledges that he cannot guarantee delivery and thinks it is sad that they have not received sufficient funds for a long time. He says they focus on getting the ballots out on time:

– If you receive the ballot five weeks before the election, we hope that people are not so nervous. They do not want to doubt the vote by mail because they have enough time, he says.

At the same time, he emphasizes that there is always a risk if you wait too long to cast the ballot.

You will not vote by mail, but you must

Outside the Germantown Post Office, customers are impatient.

Student Sheron Perkins explains that she had to wait 35 minutes for the mail to be sent to her. She wishes she couldn’t vote by mail, but she is forced to do so because she is registered in another state and cannot afford to fly there.

– Based on the experience I just had at the post office, I would definitely go to a physical polling station if I could, he says.

Matt Kaplan doesn’t think the election result will be clear on November 3. But choose to have confidence in the system

– Voting by mail is safe. We have been doing this for a long time, he says.

– Are you concerned when you hear postal workers warn about the situation?

– Yes of course. This is a constitutional offer. It has been fundamental to govern our country as a democracy. Going out and politicizing this and delaying the postal service to meet Trump’s personal needs, or whatever, is insane, Kaplan says.

– It violates the fundamental values ​​of what this country should be, he concludes.