Changes to USPS policies for its workers have the potential to slow down the mail delivery process.
The new head of the USPS, Louis DeJoy, made operational changes on July 10 to cut costs, which could result in slowing down mail delivery. According to a USPS document published in the Washington Post, employees were ordered to leave behind mail at distribution centers if it would delay letter carriers from their routes, whereas postal workers are traditionally trained to make multiple trips to not leave any letters behind.
Emily Bradley, university mail center manager, said she hasn’t noticed an obvious delay.
“I would say the only way would be a potential day or two delay in some mail and possibly packages, but I really haven’t noticed much of a delay,” Bradley said. “It’s hard to know; we get the letters in, but we don’t know if it’s taken longer to get here than it would have before the changes”
Though she hasn’t noticed it, Bradley said she has heard of changes to USPS operations, including regulations about employees working overtime.
“The only thing I’ve heard is the discussion of the fact that a lot of overtime is not allowed,” she said. “They still allow certain overtime; it just has to be pre-approved. It used to be a lot more prevalent. There are certain carriers that the way their routes are designed, it takes them into overtime every day to complete their route the way it’s supposed to be done. So, if they’re not allowed overtime, there could be certain things that wait until the next day to go out.”
These changes have been made leading up to the 2020 presidential election on Nov. 3, where more people are expected to vote by mail due to COVID-19.
Bradley said despite the expected increase of election mail, she thinks USPS is capable of delivering the ballots efficiently.
“When you think about how much they handle for Christmas cards and Mother’s Day and all of that, they will be able to handle an influx of election mail,” she said. “I would just say if you are planning on voting by mail in ballot or absentee ballot, don’t wait until the last minute just in case there are any delays. I have people come in like, ‘yeah, it has to be in Nebraska by tomorrow.’ Well, you’re going to have to pay a lot extra to get it to Nebraska by tomorrow. So, plan ahead and don’t wait until the last minute to get it done, to request a mail-in or absentee ballot.”
Viviana Goodwin, music junior, said she didn’t receive her absentee ballot to vote in her local election in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“Before I came back to school, I finished registering for my absentee ballot,” Goodwin said. “I sent it in about a month ago, so I could be all set for when I get to school. My dad was constantly texting me asking if I’ve gotten it yet and I hadn’t. I had also lost my debit card, and my dad had to send me a new one. He sent it through FedEx, and I got it in like two days. It’s been four weeks now, and I haven’t gotten my ballot, but I got my debit card that quickly. I was hoping and praying it would come, and after this weekend we realized it’s not coming. It still hasn’t gotten here, and today is election day.”
Goodwin said she thinks the changes at USPS might have affected the delivery of her ballot.
“We checked the application was approved like six different times and made sure that my OCU address was on it so it would for sure get sent to me. It worked my freshman year. I think the slowdown affected it. That’s what we chalked it up to,” she said.
Goodwin said voting in this election was particularly special for her family because her father, Jerry Goodwin, is on the ballot.
“He is running for Tulsa City Council District One,” Goodwin said. “He ran my freshman year and didn’t win, and now he’s running again. We’re very, very hopeful, very prayerful. I wasn’t able to vote for him, but it’ll be okay because if it’s supposed to happen, it will happen, but I would say it does kind of suck.”
Goodwin said she’s concerned about receiving her absentee ballot for the presidential election.
“That’s what I’m scared about now. If I couldn’t get an absentee ballot for a city council election, then what’s it going to be like then? My dad and I are thinking maybe I should go back home to vote for the presidential election, so we don’t have to worry about it,” she said.
Goodwin also said it’s important mail is delivered on time.
“If you’re ordering medication or, like me, have to get a new debit card in the mail, you don’t want to wait weeks for it,” she said. “Also, for voting, it’s super important it’s on time. Voting is a fundamental right, and everyone should have the option and the ability to.”
Bradley said 14 days before the election date is a safe bet to send absentee ballots.
“Generally, that’s a good time frame to make sure it gets where it needs to go and gets processed in time,” she said.
Bradley also said the time it takes for mail to be delivered varies on the destination but usually doesn’t exceed a week.
“It’s going to vary the farther away you get from Oklahoma. I’d say, on the outset, on the edges of the coast you’re looking at like 4-6 days. I don’t send things that far with the end knowledge of how long it took to get there, but that’s my guess. In Oklahoma or the local area, it’s probably just a day or two,” she said.
Kelsey Bray, acting senior, said she’s registered to vote in California and plans to send her absentee ballot by mail.
“For California voting, the biggest thing I’m worried about is receiving my ballot in time to send it back from Oklahoma. That’s really my only worry, and that’s what I worry about each election because I usually do mail-in voting,” she said. “This year, I’m definitely going to mail it in as soon as possible, because obviously there is a national slowdown with everything right now. When I get it, I’m going to be mailing it in immediately.”
Bray also said she has been provided with a tracking number and update texts to track her ballot.
“I got an email from the state a week or two ago, and they’re providing a service where you can track your ballot. I confirmed I’m a registered voter, and they asked if I wanted to change anything and sign up for this tracking thing, and I was like, ‘absolutely,’ because then I can ensure it’s getting somewhere. I always feel weird sending in my ballot like, ‘I hope you get there.’ I’m definitely going to send it in earlier, track it and make sure it gets there,” she said.
Derek Bryant, biochemistry junior, also said he’s voting by mail to send his absentee ballot to Kansas.
“I have not been paying attention to the news that well, but I know that there’s potential for mail-in ballots to be really delayed,” he said. “I’m not concerned about safety at all. I am a little concerned my ballot won’t get here. I’m a little luckier than some students because I only live two hours from home. If I absolutely have to, I can drive home to vote if I never got my ballot, but honestly, Kansas is good about getting stuff out really early. And I’m sure as long as it’s postmarked by the election date, they’ll accept it.”
Bryant said he plans to send his ballot quickly.
“I think my plan is just to fill it out as soon as I get it just in case there are any delays and in case there are any random executive orders from Trump that we don’t expect, that if we are going to be dealing with a mail delay, at least I’m trying to preemptively do my part to get it back on time,” Bryant said.
Bradley said she has worked at the mail center for eight and a half years, and has seen the number of students voting by mail increase over that time.
“It’s really increased in the last couple of years,” she said. “I think students are definitely putting more of an effort into voting from here than I noticed in the first few years I was doing this. It’s good, I see all of the voter registration cards going in ,and we get a ton of absentee ballots that get mailed here for students, and then they turn around and send them right back in.”
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