Postmaster general: ‘We’re going to be in great shape for the election’

The U.S. Postal Service is gearing up for all the election-related mail set to begin, and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said it’s in “great shape” compared to four years ago.

“We’re going to be in great shape for the election. I’m pretty confident about everything that we’re doing,” DeJoy told The Associated Press. “The American people should be confident.

In a media briefing Thursday, the Postal Service outlined how it is preparing for the 2024 election and highlighted its successes in recent elections.  

In the 2020 general election, the service delivered 99.89 percent of ballots from voters to election officials within seven days, a success amid the influx of mailed ballots during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 midterm election had a similar level of “on-time performance.”

In the weeks leading up to and immediately following this November’s election, Postal Service officials will participate in additional pickups, extra deliveries and “special sort plans” for processing mail to “expedite and enhance ballot delivery.”

“Our letter carriers and facilities teams across the country, the 640,000 women and men of the Postal Service, are fully focused on the critical mission of delivering the nation’s election mail – just as we have done so excellently though this current primary season and as we have done in the past,” DeJoy said in a statement.

In recent years, mail-in voting has come under attack. Former President Trump claimed the 2020 presidential election was rigged, citing mail-in ballots in key battleground states.

Election workers have also been attacked and criticized as the job of ballot counting becomes more scrutinized.

The service said its federal law enforcement arm, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), has its own plan for “robust measures” to ensure mail-in ballots are delivered securely.

“USPIS will leverage its extensive experience and resources to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process,” the release said. “This includes rigorous security protocols, continuous monitoring, and prompt response to any potential threats or incidents.”

DeJoy told the AP that he learned the organization needs to be “louder than the noise” by communicating how well it will do and that “things are going to be good.”