The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) warned Pennsylvania officials in July that the state’s election dates were too tight for the service’s “delivery standards” and that this could result in mail being sent after several days.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that a July 29 letter to state officials warned that “certain deadlines for requesting and sending mail-in polling stations do not comply with the Post Office’s delivery standards,” and this could result in “a risk that ballot papers would close. the deadline under state law will not be returned in time to count under your laws because we understand them. “
Current state law in Pennsylvania requires that emails arrive at 8 a.m. on election day to count.
In a motion filed in the state Supreme Court on Thursday, Pennsylvania officials asked for elections for approval to continue counting post-in votes until three days after election day due to concerns about delays in the postal service, the Inquirer.
Pennsylvania election officials did not immediately return a request for confirmation from The Hill.
If the court agrees, the results of one of the most controversial states in the 2020 elections for several days after the elections could be unclear, potentially leading to uncertainty about the winner of the presidential election. .
President Trump
Donald John TrumpUSPS warns Pennsylvania post-in polls may not be delivered on time to count. Michael Cohen book accuses Trump of corruption, fraud Trump demands post-vote for Florida Congress primary MORE won Pennsylvania by a narrow margin over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonUSPS warns Pennsylvania post-in votes may not be delivered in time to count Senate papers by September without coronavirus relief. Gloria Steinem: Kamala Harris Selection Recognizes ‘Black Women … the Heart and Soul of the Democratic Party’ MORE in 2016.
News of the USPS’s warning to Pennsylvania election officials comes as lawmakers on Capitol Hill have raised concerns about delays in mail delivery amid efforts to reorganize Postmaster General Louis DeJoy at the Postal Service.
Many Democrats and critics of DeJoy’s efforts argue that the changes jeopardize the ability of states to implement post-voting systems that have expanded in several states due to concerns about personal votes in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
President Trump has opposed efforts to expand voting via mail, and repeatedly claims that the practice is causing voter fraud. However, there is not much evidence to suggest that e-mail voting leads to voter fraud.
The president also suggested on Thursday that he was not ready to agree to an agreement with Democrats to fund the Postal Service in the next coronavirus legislation, as it would help universal post-vote in November.
“They want $ 25 billion for the post office. Now, they need that money to run the post office so it can take all those millions and millions of votes,” Trump said Thursday during a Fox Business interview.
“Now in the meantime, they do not get there. In fact, those are just two items. But if they do not get those two items, it means you do not have a universal mail-in vote, because they are not equipped to do it. have. “
“Well, if we do not make a deal, that means they will not get the money. That means they can not have a universal mail-in vote,” the president continued. “They just can not have it. That, you know, kind of a crazy thing.”
Trump later told reporters at a news conference Thursday that he would be willing to sign legislation on coronavirus that includes funds for the postal service, but rejected the idea that the agency would reverse policies that worries Democrats.
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