Postal Services Agrees to Prioritize Election Mail in Future Elections After Lawsuit
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the parties in NAACP v. U.S. Postal Service announced a settlement following a year of litigation over the Postal Service’s handling of election mail. The lawsuit was initially filed in August 2020 to address changes in processing and delivery methods by the Postal Service. The complaint argued that the Postal Service’s changes were made in violation of federal procedures and created widespread delays, creating the possibility that election mail would be significantly impacted during the 2020 presidential election. Given that many people relied on voting by mail due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the court granted a preliminary injunction that addressed some of the Postal Service’s problematic practices. This litigation also focused on ensuring ballots were received and counted after Election Day and for the Georgia Senate run-off elections in January 2021.
In March 2021, the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint to ensure that all of the changes the Postal Service made for the 2020 election cycle were implemented for future elections. Today, the parties announced an agreement that outlines actions the Postal Service will take to safeguard voting by mail in future elections. As part of this settlement, through 2028 the Postal Service will meet with the NAACP in the months leading up to all primary and general elections and provide status reports on mail service in the six weeks before and one week after an election. The Postal Service will also produce documents outlining how the organization will monitor and prioritize the delivery of election mail for every federal election cycle through 2028. This settlement helps ensure that the millions of Americans who vote by mail will have their ballot counted in future elections.