Dem
49
GOP
51
Louis DeJoy is still postmaster general and the problems with the mail are still with us. They could disrupt the election (again) by causing absentee ballots to be delayed so much that they miss the arrival deadline and are not counted. State and local officials are aware of the problem and have warned the USPS, but to no avail. They have also cited examples of properly addressed election mail being returned to them as undeliverable. To be sure that the ballot arrives on time, absentee voters have to mail their ballot weeks in advance or physically bring it to an official dropbox or election office, which is more work for the voter. Failures in the postal system threaten to disenfranchise some voters. Since DeJoy knows that more Democrats than Republicans vote by mail, he seems to be in no hurry to fix the USPS.
A recent letter from election officials to DeJoy included the passage: "We implore you to take immediate and tangible corrective action to address the ongoing performance issues with USPS election mail service. Failure to do so will risk limiting voter participation and trust in the election process." DeJoy has not responded to the letter. According to its own claims, the USPS will deliver every first-class letter within five business days at most. But secretaries of state have observed mail dated and postmarked more than 5 days before its arrival date.
The ironic part of this is that the problem is worse in rural areas and states, and in those places, the vote is predominantly Republican. However, in addition to disenfranchising some voters, failure to deliver ballots on time could reduce faith in elections for all voters. (V)