ANKARA – A federal judge ordered Tuesday the United States Postal Service (USPS) to expedite their efforts for rush delivery of mail-in ballots as the deadline looms in many states on Election Day.
US District Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington, DC gave the USPS time until 3 p.m. EDT (2000GMT) to “ensure that no ballots have been held up” in regions where processing mail-in ballots have been lagging.
Sullivan also ordered Sunday that the USPS must reinforce “special procedures” and “extraordinary measures” to use its express mail network to deliver every possible ballot before the deadline on Election Day.
“The Postal Service continues to implement extraordinary measures to advance and expedite the delivery of the nation’s ballots,” USPS Chief Retail and Delivery Officer Kristin Seaver said in a statement on October 29.
“These efforts include extra pick-ups, extra deliveries, and delivery units running regular collections on Sunday,” she added.
The USPS noted that the average time of mail delivery, including ballots, has been 2.5 days since October 1, and added that it has processed and delivered more than 122 million ballots since September 4, which include both blank and completed ones.
With 35 million in-person early voting and 65 million ballots cast by mail due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), a record 100 million Americans voted early this year, while more than 50 million are expected to cast their ballots in person on Election Day. (Anadolu)