Delaware was one of nearly four dozen states to receive letters from the U.S. Postal Service warning that vote-by-mail ballots could be subject to delays.
The Washington Post obtained the letters that were sent out recently, with one going to Delaware State Election Commissioner Anthony Albence.
“In particular, we wanted to note that, under our reading of Delaware’s election laws, certain deadlines for requesting and casting mail-in ballots are incongruous with the Postal Service’s delivery standards. This mismatch creates a risk that ballots requested near the deadline under state law will not be returned by mail in time to be counted under your laws as we understand them,” Postal Service General Counsel Thomas Marshall wrote.
The Delaware General Assembly earlier passed legislation allowing all registered voters to vote by mail.
The letter suggested that mailing of completed ballots to election officials no later than Oct. 27 for the Nov. 5 election.
In general, First Class mail in Delaware takes one to two days to deliver within the state. However, reports of mail delays have been widespread around the nation and have led to concern over deliveries of medications to veterans, Stars and Stripes reported.
The Delaware election letter comes amid criticism over actions by the Postal Service by new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
Under DeJoy, the Postal Service has reportedly removed mail sorting machines, put an end to overtime and started the removal of mailboxes in Western States. The Postal Service later indicated it would halt the removal until after the election.
DeJoy, a former Republican fund-raising official, cited the Postal Service’s financial situation as a reason for the move.
Trump claims mail-in voting will lead to voter fraud and initially opposed pandemic aid for the Postal Service. He has since softened his opposition. Opponents claim Trump is attempting to suppress the vote in a tough re-election race with Delaware’s Joe Biden.
