The Postal Service outlined its preparations for the 2024 general election during briefings for lawmakers and the news media this week.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told attendees that the organization will draw from its successes during the 2020 and 2022 elections to ensure the smooth handling of Election Mail, including ballots.
“Our letter carriers and facilities teams across the country, the 640,000 women and men of the Postal Service, are fully focused on the critical mission of delivering the nation’s Election Mail — just as we have done so excellently through this current primary season and as we have done in the past,” he said. “We are proud to do our part to help citizens who choose to use the mail to vote to do so effectively.”
In the 2020 general election, USPS delivered 99.89 percent of ballots from voters to election officials within seven days.
The 2022 midterm elections saw a similar level of on-time performance, with 99.93 percent of ballots delivered within a seven-day timeframe.
The Postal Service has the capacity to deliver the nation’s ballots in the final weeks of the election.
USPS officials also said that the organization will implement extraordinary measures from Oct. 21 to Nov. 15 to make sure mail-in ballots are delivered close to or on Election Day or by a state’s ballot return deadline.
This includes additional pickups, extra deliveries and employing special features on processing equipment to expedite and enhance ballot delivery.
“Since late last year, the Postal Service has met regularly with stakeholders across the Election Mail landscape, including state and local election administrators; postal unions and management associations; federal agencies and Congress; the mailing industry; and nongovernmental organizations,” said Adrienne Marshall, the Postal Service’s election and government mail services director.
The Postal Inspection Service also described its plans to ensure the secure delivery of all mail-in ballots.
The agency will use rigorous security protocols and continuously monitor the mailstream, responding promptly to any potential threats or incidents.
“We take a whole-of-agency and a whole-of-government approach to this critical mission, employing all of our law enforcement resources and working in close coordination with our local, state and federal law enforcement and security partners,” said Brendan Donahue, assistant inspector in charge.
The Postal Service’s Aug. 29 news release and the Election and Government Mail Services Blue page have more information.