States Knock DeJoy’s Claim That Mail-in Voting ‘Will be Fine’

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy‘s “vague assurances that everything will be fine” with mail-in voting are no substitute for detailed information he is trying to avoid providing, according to 14 states suing the Trump administration over U.S Postal Service changes.

The states, led by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, on Wednesday pushed a federal judge to issue a court order accelerating information disclosures in the suit they filed last week. The administration is arguing the demands for evidence — including lists of mailboxes and sorting machines slated for removal — are burdensome and overly broad.

A hearing on the dispute is set for Thursday in federal court in Yakima, Washington.

The states said their requests are “entirely understandable and urgent” because DeJoy’s surprise commitment to delay more changes until after the election in November has “only resulted in more confusion.” They claim, for example, that DeJoy’s testimony to Congress on Monday affirming that voter registration forms and mail-in ballots will be delivered using First Class mail, rather than slower but cheaper services, contradicts what’s on the postal agency’s website.

“Despite the admitted consequences of their changes, defendants have resisted efforts to provide concrete information detailing the scope or effects of their changes — even after two separate Congressional hearings on this very topic,” the states said.

The suit is one of three filed by mostly Democratic state attorneys general who allege the service changes instituted by DeJoy are aimed at undermining the expected surge in mail-in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic. President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued without evidence that expanded mail-in voting will lead to massive voter fraud.

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