Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif) accused President Donald Trump of deliberately sabotaging the United States Postal Service as he’s mounted more attacks against vote-by-mail initiatives.
“Trump put Postmaster DeJoy in charge of the postal service to dismantle the USPS & sabotage vote by mail. New procedures are causing massive delays,” Waters tweeted.
She added: “Trump & Repubs don’t believe in free & fair elections. They’ll lie, cheat, & steal to stay in power. We’ve got to fight back!”
Trump put Postmaster DeJoy in charge of the postal service to dismantle the USPS & sabotage vote by mail. New procedures are causing massive delays. Trump & Repubs don’t believe in free & fair elections. They’ll lie, cheat, & steal to stay in power. We’ve got to fight back!
— Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) August 3, 2020
Last week, Senate Democrats sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and demanded he explain changes he implemented that sparked concerns about delivery delays.
“It is essential that the Postal Service not slow down mail or in any way compromise service for veterans, small businesses, rural communities, seniors, and millions of Americans who rely on the mail – including significant numbers who will be relying on the Postal Service to exercise their right to vote,” they wrote.
“However, your failure to provide Congress with relevant information about these recent changes or to clarify to postal employees what changes you have directed as Postmaster General, undermines public trust and only increases concerns that service compromises will grow in advance of the election and peak mail volumes in November,” they added.
Waters’ comments come as the president threatened to sue the state of Nevada after its legislature approved a measure that would automatically send mail-in ballots to all registered voters.
“In an illegal late night coup, Nevada’s clubhouse Governor made it impossible for Republicans to win the state. Post Office could never handle the Traffic of Mail-In Votes without preparation. Using Covid to steal the state,” Trump wrote without any evidence. “See you in Court!”
In an illegal late night coup, Nevada’s clubhouse Governor made it impossible for Republicans to win the state. Post Office could never handle the Traffic of Mail-In Votes without preparation. Using Covid to steal the state. See you in Court! https://t.co/cNSPINgCY7
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 3, 2020
The president and Republicans have repeatedly disparaged vote-by-mail options in response to criticisms from voting rights advocates who’ve expressed safety concerns during the coronavirus pandemic.
A study released in April from Stanford University’s Democracy and Polarization Lab found that contrary to the widely-held belief among the GOP that vote-by-mail gives Democrats an advantage over Republicans, vote-by-mail options do not benefit one party more than another.
“By comparing counties that adopt a vote-by-mail program to counties within the same state that do not adopt the program, we are able to compare the election outcomes and turnout behavior of voters who have different vote-by-mail accessibility but who have the same set of candidates on the ballot for statewide races,” researchers wrote.