Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(107,111 posts)
Sat Sep 12, 2020, 12:55 PM Sep 2020

The USPS is accused of 'confusing' voters by mailing all Americans 'postcards with misinformation'

about voting

The United States Postal Service was accused Friday of misleading American voters in mailing the same postcard about absentee voting to all Americans despite variances among how states are choosing to conduct their November election.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, said Friday that the USPS postcard was inaccurate and could be "confusing" to voters.

"I just found out the @USPS is sending this postcard to every household and PO Box in the nation. For states like Colorado where we send ballots to all voters, the information is not just confusing, it's WRONG," Griswold said in a tweet late Friday.

The nationwide USPS mailer encourages voters to plan ahead if they decide to cast their ballot by mail. While the postcard says "rules and dates vary by state" and encourages voters to find individual state policies online, it tells voters to "request their mail-in-ballot" at least 15 days prior to Election Day, echoing its previous guidance from July.

Griswold pointed out that voters in several states. including Colorado, would not need to request an absentee ballot because the state would be mailed to every registered voter. Business Insider previously reported most or all registered voters in California, Colorado, Washington, DC, Hawaii, Montana, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington State, and Vermont, will automatically have a ballot delivered to them via the USPS.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-usps-is-accused-of-confusing-voters-by-mailing-all-americans-postcards-with-misinformation-about-voting/ar-BB18XOAg?li=BBnb7Kz
18 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies

Statistical

(19,264 posts)
1. I am going to give the USPS the benefit of the doubt but man they fubared that.
Sat Sep 12, 2020, 01:07 PM
Sep 2020

If you have a single mailing going to all 50 states in which the rules are different in each state you need to speak more generally and conservatively.

Stuff like "You MAY need to request a ballot. Check with your state elections office"

Hekate

(90,202 posts)
6. With DeJoy put in charge to both wreck the USPS & suppress the vote, I have a hard time...
Sat Sep 12, 2020, 01:14 PM
Sep 2020

...believing this is a simple error. In fact you might say I’m PO’d.

Sending out false info as to dates, times, and locations is an old Jim Crow trick. DeJoy has raised it to the Federal level.

jimfields33

(15,473 posts)
2. No good deed and all that.
Sat Sep 12, 2020, 01:09 PM
Sep 2020

The post office probably should have catered it to each state. It was nice to send but one version for 50 individual elections probably wasn’t thought out.

silverweb

(16,402 posts)
3. Easy solution:
Sat Sep 12, 2020, 01:09 PM
Sep 2020

In states where vote-by-mail ballots are sent automatically to all registered voters, just ignore any requests based on the USPS postcard. Problem solved!

KS Toronado

(16,911 posts)
8. There's something fishy going on with the USPS, don't know what & I don't trust them.
Sat Sep 12, 2020, 01:17 PM
Sep 2020

Will be hand delivering my ballot to a drop box.

Kaleva

(36,147 posts)
9. flyer clearly states that rules vary by state and provides a link to check the rules of your state
Sat Sep 12, 2020, 01:18 PM
Sep 2020

I thought it was pretty simple to understand.

LisaL

(44,962 posts)
10. Well I never got mine so I have no clue what it says or doesn't other than what is being
Sat Sep 12, 2020, 01:21 PM
Sep 2020

reported.

Kaleva

(36,147 posts)
12. In MI, a voter can request a ballot up to the Fri. before the election.
Sat Sep 12, 2020, 01:25 PM
Sep 2020

The USPS flyer offers good advice and suggests one requests a ballot (if applicable) at least 15 days before the election.

Hekate

(90,202 posts)
13. DeJoy is using an old Jim Crow tactic to suppress the vote, now at a federal level...
Sat Sep 12, 2020, 01:26 PM
Sep 2020

With DeJoy put in charge to both wreck the USPS & suppress the vote, I have a hard time believing this is a simple error. In fact you might say I’m PO’d.

Sending out false info as to dates, times, and locations is an old Jim Crow trick. DeJoy has raised it to the Federal level.

stopdiggin

(11,095 posts)
14. people are not going to like this
Sat Sep 12, 2020, 01:49 PM
Sep 2020

but, here's a suggestion. If you're interested in voting by mail (or voting in general) -- take three or four seconds to find our what the process and procedure is in your state. Every state in the nation has this information readily available and accessible. And -- if you are easily confused (or distracted, or just plain stupid) -- there are plenty of resources in your own community (libraries, civic groups, voter registration) that will be happy to walk you through the necessary steps. Your part in this is to -- turn off your f**king TV, stop dithering and wringing your hands -- pick up the phone and start getting some answers. I promise you -- it's not that hard!

Make7

(8,543 posts)
18. What happens when trying to request a mail-in ballot in a state mailing them to registered voters?
Sat Sep 12, 2020, 02:47 PM
Sep 2020

I would assume when looking up the information on how to request a ballot, those states that are sending them to every registered voter would probably inform people that they don't need to request one (if their address is the same as their voter registration) since it is being sent to them automatically.

Registered voter: I'd like to request an absentee ballot.

Colorado Election Official: Ballots are being sent automatically to all registered voters in Colorado. As long as your address hasn't changed from your voter registration information, you don't need to do anything – your ballot should be arriving soon. Thank you for calling/writing.

This seems like such a minor issue to complain about given how many actual issues there are regarding voting in this election.
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»The USPS is accused of 'c...