The Postmaster General Is Stoking Election Fears Again

Ever since helium was nominated by Donald Trump’s medication for the apical spot astatine the U.S. Postal Service, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has been accused of fucking up the mail. Sometimes helium has been accused of fucking up the message intentionally. Other times he’s been accused of conscionable being incompetent. Either way, not delivering the message successful a timely manner tin beryllium annoying during mean times but, successful an predetermination season, it tin person overmuch broader ramifications.

In 2020, aft DeJoy tried to ram done changes to the mode message was delivered, the USPS main was accused of sabotaging the mail successful a “politically motivated” onslaught up of the statesmanlike election. “Although not needfully evident connected the surface, astatine the bosom of DeJoy’s and the Postal Service’s actions is elector disenfranchisement,” said U.S. District Court Chief Stanley Bastian, a national justice who filed an injunction to halt DeJoy’s projected changes. Bastian further called the determination “an intentional effort connected the portion of the existent Administration to disrupt and situation the legitimacy of upcoming local, state, and national elections.”

Now, DeJoy is erstwhile again being accused of perchance influencing a U.S. statesmanlike election. An NBC News investigation claims that “some of the country’s slowest message is successful statesmanlike plaything states with strict message ballot transportation deadlines.” Those states, which are plagued by debased USPS show metrics, see places similar Georgia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. In those states, dysfunctionally dilatory message could construe to important aggregates of ballots not getting counted, critics worry. In the exceptionally choky statesmanlike race, the nonaccomplishment of respective 1000 votes could person a captious interaction connected the result of the election.

Tons of authorities officials—both Democrats and Republicans—have been yelling astatine DeJoy for weeks and telling him to bash a amended occupation of ensuring that mail-in ballots tin beryllium sent (and counted) connected time, to debar a antagonistic interaction connected the election.  Even Republicans aren’t holding back: “It’s a disgrace,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told NBC. “They request to recognize the value [of predetermination mail], and they request to marque nary much excuses.”

DeJoy adjacent seems to beryllium fielding antagonistic rhetoric from Trump. After claiming successful 2020 that mail-in-voting was some benignant of Democrat-led conspiracy to perpetrate elector fraud, Trump yet realized that mail-in ballots could assistance him and did a 180 connected the practice. Lately, Trump has been claiming that the postal work can’t grip the processing of mail-in ballots. “I work the station bureau is saying however atrocious it is,” Trump said, during a speech with Real America’s Voice. “The station bureau is critiquing themselves, saying we’re truly successful atrocious shape. We can’t present the mail. And they’re not adjacent talking astir message successful ballots, right? We’re going to dump millions and millions of dollars.”

“My effect is similar my effect to everyone who says that we’re not prepared for the predetermination — it’s that they’re wrong,” DeJoy precocious said, successful effect to Trump’s accusations. “I don’t cognize that I request to remark immoderate much than that. They’re wrong.” Way backmost successful April, DeJoy was promising that helium would hole the USPS’s velocity issues, but doesn’t look to person done truthful yet.

Gizmodo reached retired to DeJoy’s bureau for comment.

It’s sometimes hard to archer why, exactly, DeJoy is truthful unspeakable astatine moving the postal service. When helium was selected, Louis DeJoy was criticized for being the archetypal Postmaster General successful decades who had nary ceremonial acquisition moving for the U.S. Postal Service. He besides came from the backstage assemblage and was invested successful postal contractors that stood to summation from the postal service’s dysfunction. DeJoy has besides been accused of wanting to privatize the postal service, making him akin to different Trump appointees who look similar they were appointed to caput agencies for the intent of running them poorly.  One thing’s for sure: whether connected intent oregon by accident, DeJoy sucks astatine his job.