Looming election forces Latta to request mail processing transfer for northwest Ohio

With mail-in voting a possibility in the November 2020 presidential election, U.S. Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) recently urged the federal postmaster to consider transferring mail processing responsibilities from a Michigan site that has faced years of complaints for failure to properly process his constituents’ mail in northwest Ohio.

Specifically, Rep. Latta requested a formal inquiry by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) into the possibility of transferring the mail processing responsibilities from the USPS Michigan Metroplex Facility in Pontiac, Mich., to either the Cleveland Mail Processing Plant or the Columbus Mail Processing Plant in Ohio.

“In addition to delivery delays, we have also seen increased instances of lost or discarded mail,” Rep. Latta wrote in a June 5 letter sent to USPS Postmaster General and CEO Megan Brennan. “The most egregious example of this was in 2016 when hundreds of absentee ballots were lost.”

Since that time, Rep. Latta wrote that he has tried to work with USPS to determine the cause for the ongoing delays and if USPS could improve operations at the Metroplex facility.

“I received assurances that the Postal Service took these matters seriously and were working to improve operations,” according to the congressman’s letter. “Sadly, even with these assurances, I continue to receive a constant stream of complaints from my constituents about mail delivery issues, ranging from delayed mail to lost mail.”

With the continued uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Rep. Latta expects a large increase this fall in the number of voters choosing to cast their ballots through the mail, according to his letter.

“That is why it is imperative that the system is working, and the mail is being delivered in a timely fashion,” he wrote. “I cannot place confidence in the Michigan Metroplex to accomplish this goal.”