U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy expressed frustration Thursday to reporters about the ongoing criticism from election officials about how the agency handles mail-in ballots, saying it is wrong to suggest they could be displaced.
DeJoy argued that some election officials don’t understand the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) efforts to turn around mail during election season and reassured that the agency would be on top of things, The Associated Press reported.
The postal chief said the USPS will collect and deliver ballots more frequently in the days leading to the election, now less than two months away. Processing centers will remain open on the Sunday before Election Day, he added.
“We encourage the voting public to mail early if they chose to vote by mail,” DeJoy said, according to CNN.
He also tried to debunk some of the arguments from former President Trump about the mail-in ballots — though the GOP nominee and Republicans have been more open to the practice this cycle. He said his organization is ready to deliver and serve in the upcoming election season.
The agency will take special measures as it prepares to handle an influx of mail. In the 2020 presidential election, the agency delivered nearly 100 percent of ballots within a week, per a spokesperson. Around 43 percent of voters cast their ballots by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic, per the briefing.
That number isn’t expected to be so high this year, but states have expanded their mailed ballot capabilities, so more people have access to the nontraditional form of voting this election.
DeJoy, who was appointed by a bipartisan board under the Trump administration, tiptoed around a question from CNN about the criticism from Trump and others, saying his response is that USPS is prepared.
“My response is like my response to everyone who says we’re not prepared for the election — it is that they’re wrong,” he replied. “I don’t know that I need to comment any more than that. They’re wrong.”
The postal chief also admitted that “for a variety of reasons,” that there is a heightened sensitivity and scrutiny about voting via mail. He warned that the American public will be alarmed if they are led to question the reliability of their postal service, especially ahead of an election.
Still, DeJoy’s remarks aren’t enough to ensure lawmakers. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) said Wednesday that he wants Congress to have more control after his state experienced a mail-service breakdown, per the AP.
Updated Sept. 21 at 12:30 p.m. EDT.