Good news for the next election

| 9:00 pm EDT July 29, 2022
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The speedy and secure delivery of mail-in ballots must be a priority in any legitimate democracy. Before the 2020 election, however, backlogs plagued many of the 135 million ballots that were mailed to and from anxious voters, and neither a special procedure nor a dedicated staff were available to resolve problems. Fortunately, the United States Postal Service just made a bold move to ensure that history won’t repeat itself as we approach November.

On Wednesday, the USPS announced the creation of the Election and Government Mail Services (EGMS) as a permanent division charged with handling election matters. EGMS, which will oversee “election mail strike teams” in every local and district community, has hit the ground running, sending guidance to election officials throughout the country, according to a report from the Associated Press.

According to court filings just before the 2020 election, the USPS struggled to ensure timely ballot delivery, especially in critical swing states. From the Wednesday to the Saturday prior to the election, the nationwide USPS processing score dropped from 97% to 91%, according to reporting at the time from CNN. Colorado and Wyoming ranked among the most sluggish, processing an abysmal 43% of their ballots on time with just three days left until the election.

If you are considering voting by mail before the November 8, 2022, election, you can proceed with greater confidence that your vote will count and that any issues that may arise will get resolved promptly. For the rest of us who also care about the integrity of our democratic election process but will vote in person, this development is quite welcome news.

Although the election is a few months away, it’s not too early to think about whether you might mail your ballot and learn what the process entails. Start today by visiting the USPS’s Election Mail site at this link. Thanks to this latest development from the USPS, democracy is prevailing.