I stand with the Postal Service

By Catherine Cortez Masto

Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020 | 2 a.m.

Editor’s note: As he does every August, Brian Greenspun is turning over his Where I Stand column to others. This year, thanks to robust response to the Sun’s invitations to guest writers, we’re continuing to publish their columns this month. Today’s guest is Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.

As you’ve probably seen on the news by now, Americans are growing increasingly concerned by the threat of delays to mail delivery.

In part, these delays are because the coronavirus pandemic has caused more people to rely on mail deliveries — but they are also the result of recent changes to the United States Postal Service. The nation’s new postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, has imposed cost-cutting measures, has prohibited postal workers from working overtime, and is testing new sorting systems. He’s also reorganized Postal Service staff, shuffling people with experience into new positions and giving himself more power.

All these changes, plus President Donald Trump’s own statements on the issue, have raised understandable fears that the administration is making changes to the Postal Service to undermine vote-by-mail efforts across the country.

Here in Nevada, we’re mailing a ballot to every active registered voter in the state for the 2020 election. We are taking this step to make sure people can vote safely and securely, as we did for the June primary. Voters will have the choice to mail their ballots, have a friend, family member or neighbor mail the ballot for them, drop the ballot in a drop-box, or vote in person, either early or on Election Day. The point is to let Nevadans decide for themselves what they are comfortable with and what makes the most sense for their unique situation.

But for Nevada’s election to work, we need to make sure the Postal Service is up to the task. Again, here, my concern is that some are trying to undermine the post office and cast doubt on mail-in ballots because they think it will help them politically.

That is just wrong.

Voting by mail has a long history around the country. Its track record shows that it’s safe and dependable. In fact, so many states offer voting by mail and absentee voting that starting in 2010, in every federal election, about a quarter of all Americans have voted by mail — including the president. In 2018, 31 million Americans voted by mail. States like Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington have pioneered safe voting by mail.

Barbara Cegavske, the secretary of state in Nevada, said there were no credible reports of fraud in this June’s primary, when more than 98% of Nevadans voted by mail. And in general, studies of fraud across the country in all states show that voter fraud is rare.

Whatever the explanation for the changes to the Postal Service, they’ve had a terrible effect on Nevadans and people all around the country. My office has heard from 8,000 people in the Silver State concerned about delays to the mail. I also had a roundtable with postal workers in Nevada, many of them distressed about delays that make it impossible for them to do their jobs.

Across the country, perishable shipments of food are rotting, live animals sent by mail are dying before they arrive at farms or are received by local producers, and life-saving prescriptions have been delayed for seniors and veterans. One Nevadan wrote to tell me that she was waiting on a mail delivery for her insulin syringes.

We shouldn’t be playing games with people’s livelihoods and health during a pandemic. The mission of the post office is to get mail quickly and reliably to people who depend on it, and I am doing everything in my power to make sure that’s what happens. That’s why I voted for the CARES Act, which allowed the Postal Service to borrow more to meet the needs during this pandemic.

And that’s also why I’ve joined my colleagues in the Senate in calling on the administration to stop delays to the mail and support recent legislation passed in the House of Representatives that would provide $25 billion to the Postal Service to continue delivering mail on-time to communities throughout Nevada.

I’ve also asked officials who run Veterans Affairs and Medicare to ensure prescriptions are getting to veterans and seniors who depend on them. In response to the demands to reverse course, Postmaster General DeJoy has publicly said he would reverse some of the changes he has made to the Postal Service — but behind closed doors his actions tell a different story.

During a pandemic, no Nevadan should have to be worried about receiving their vital medical supplies or basic necessities. The U.S. Senate under Mitch McConnell needs to act, rather than forcing Americans to choose between their health and the fundamental right to vote. Many brave Americans over the course of our history have risked their lives for our democracy, and we rightfully hold them up as heroes. Just a few weeks ago, our country paid its respects to an American icon, Congressman John Lewis. And it also commemorated the 55th anniversary of one of his towering achievements, the legislation that he marched with so many other Americans to secure: the Voting Rights Act. For that reason, it’s vitally important for Nevadans to have a plan to vote early so that their ballots get where they are going on time. You’ll want to watch out for your ballots, which should be delivered to your home no later than Oct. 14. Fill it out and send it in or drop it off quickly, so that your vote gets counted.

I’m proud to stand up for Nevadans and the vital resources they need. From our remote rural counties to our diverse urban centers, we all rely on the Postal Service in our daily lives. And we should all be able to safely and legally exercise our right to vote during this health pandemic.