Colorado threatens legal action against USPS over pre-election mailers

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) is threatening to sue the U.S Postal Service over pre-election mailers the agency sent out nationally that could potentially confuse voters. 

The mailers include general information about mail-in voting and encourage voters to request mail-in ballots and submit them with ample time. Colorado is one of five states in the U.S. that conducts elections predominantly by mail, sending ballots to all registered voters without voters having to request them. 

“The mailer incorrectly asks that voters request a mail ballot 15 days before the election and return their ballots by mail at least seven days before the election,” Griswold said in a statement.

“In Colorado, every registered voter is sent a ballot without having to make a request and voters are urged to return ballots by mail sooner than seven days before the election,” she added.

I just found out the @USPS is sending this postcard to every household and PO Box in the nation. For states like Colorado where we send ballots to all voters, the information is not just confusing, it’s WRONG. (Thread) pic.twitter.com/RoTTeJRJVl

— Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) September 12, 2020

According to Griswold, the Post Office refused to delay or not send the mailers in Colorado.

“The importance of this election, combined with the fact it is being held amidst a national pandemic, further heightens the need to provide correct voting information to Coloradans,” Griswold said. “That is why I am filing a lawsuit against the USPS to cease this mailer and help shield Colorado voters from this misinformation.”

The post office has already delivered most of these mailers, the agency said. 

“The Postal Service recognizes that not every state requires a voter to request a ballot in order to obtain one by mail for the November election,” the agency said in a statement to The Hill. “The Postal Service’s guidance remains that individuals need to understand their state’s rules and deadlines, and to plan ahead.”

In the lead-up to the November presidential election approaches, some have raised concerns about the Post Office’s ability to deliver mail-in ballots on time as voting by mail increases in popularity amid the pandemic. 

More than 1 million ballots were delivered late during state primaries this year, according to an August report by the Postal Service’s Office of the Inspector General.

Updated 3:33 p.m.