U.S. Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) led a contingent of their Republican Ohio colleagues in requesting a coordinated effort between their home state and the United States Postal Service (USPS) to ensure election ballots are delivered on time.
“With the continued uncertainty created by the COVID-19 health crisis and the ongoing national discussions about the performance of the USPS, we urge you to work with Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose to implement procedures to protect Ohioans’ constitutional right to vote,” wrote Rep. Latta and Sen. Portman in an Aug. 17 letter sent to USPS Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Louis DeJoy.
In their letter, the lawmakers noted that such procedures should include:
- Nightly all-clear inspections of mail facilities to ensure all election-related materials are sent out;
- More processing carried out within Ohio at local post offices or Ohio-based mail processing facilities; and
- Local USPS representatives building relationships with county boards of elections and establishing intakes/drop-offs for election-related materials.
“These suggestions are based on the procedures that were implemented before the Ohio Primary Elections that were held this past spring,” wrote the members, who also included Ohio Republican congressmen Brad Wenstrup, Bill Johnson, Mike Turner, Troy Balderson, and Steve Stivers.
In Ohio over the last decade, the lawmakers wrote that USPS has implemented plans to consolidate operations across the state, resulting in the closure of several mail processing plants.
“Unfortunately, this process has created delays and added time to the delivery of each mail piece,” Sen. Portman, Rep. Latta, and their colleagues wrote. “In addition to delivery delays, there was an increase in complaints from constituents about lost or discarded mail, including absentee balloting materials.”
In April 2017, USPS officials made assurances that new absentee ballot procedures would be implemented, but mail issues have persisted.
Earlier this month, Rep. Latta sent residents of Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District an online survey asking his constituents if they have experienced delays or challenges receiving their mail, according to his office, which said that 3,015 constituents, or 85.9 percent of all survey takers, responded affirmatively.