This article was originally published by The Appalachian at Appalachian State University and is republished here as part of the One Vote North Carolina student media collaboration. Copyright by The Appalachian.
By Moss Brennan
With less than three months until the presidential election and the spread of coronavirus rampant, election officials are turning to one of the longest serving institutions: the post office.
But, with budget cuts and congressional concerns, getting all mailed-in ballots counted on time may be difficult.
In a July 30 letter, the United States Post office warned North Carolina officials that under the current election laws in North Carolina, “certain deadlines for requesting and casting mail-in ballots are incongruous with the Postal Service’s delivery standards.”
On Aug. 18, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy released a statement suspending changes to the postal service until after the election.
“The United States Postal Service will play a critical role this year in delivering election mail for millions of voters across the country,” DeJoy said in the statement. “There has been a lot of discussion recently about whether the Postal Service is ready, willing and able to meet this challenge.”
Patrick Gannon from the North Carolina State Board of Elections said the board will encourage voters to mail completed ballots back to their county board of elections no later than Oct. 27 to ensure they arrive on time.
Gannon also said absentee ballots can be returned by commercial courier services like UPS, FedEx or DHL.