Postal Service emerges as flash point heading into election [View all]

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By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE and MATTHEW DALY
2 hours ago


https://apnews.com/fadfb69ba83bf83875fee42ce323a27c/gallery/e425d96d2bdf40bdb4390cfdda093422


WASHINGTON (AP) — Mail piling up. Constant attacks from the president. Cuts to overtime as record numbers of ballots are expected to pass through post offices this fall.

The success of the 2020 presidential election could hinge on a most unlikely government agency: the U.S. Postal Service. Current signs are not promising.

The Postal Service already was facing questions over how it would handle the expected spike of mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic, but several operational changes imposed by its new leader have led to mail backlogs across the United States as rumors of additional cutbacks swirl, fueling worries about the November vote.

“It seems like they’re just trying to turn customers away from the post office,” said Jim Sizemore, president of the American Postal Workers Union chapter in the Cincinnati region. He said his offices are behind on deliveries because of new rules specifying when mail can go out.

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