Voters Are Reluctant To Vote By Mail Due To Changes In The Postal Service, According To New Poll

Americans who have the option to vote by mail in the 2020 presidential election are ditching their plans to do so apparently because of changes to the United States Post Office (USPS) that have slowed down mail delivery, according to a new poll. As NBC News reported, recent polls from CNBC/Change Research — some nationwide, some limited to certain states — show that fewer voters plan to vote by mail now than did two weeks ago.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, President Donald Trump has repeatedly railed against mail-in voting, claiming without evidence that it would lead to a fraudulent election. His campaign has even sued states over their expansion of the process.

Further, new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has enacted some operational changes in the post office that have resulted in delays in mail processing in some areas. DeJoy later said that he was not interested in thwarting the election through slowing the mail, and assured voters that their mail-in ballots would arrive in a timely manner and be counted.

“There have been no changes to any policies with regard to election mail. The postal service is fully capable and committed to delivering the nation’s election mail fully and on time,” he told a congressional committee.

However, it appears that some voters aren’t taking his assurances to heart.

In Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin 33 percent of likely voters said they intend to cast their ballots through the mail. By comparison, 38 percent said the same thing two weeks ago, the last time they were polled about this issue. All of these states are considered crucial “swing states” whose electoral votes, now considered up for grabs, could tilt the election

On a national scale, 33 percent of likely voters said they’re planning to vote by mail, down three percent from 36 percent two weeks ago.

Among Democrats, the numbers were more striking. In the swing states, 57 percent of voters who identify as Democrats said they planned to vote by mail, down seven percentage points from two weeks ago. Nationally, 51 percent of Democrats planned to do the same, down 11 points from two weeks ago.

The poll results also showed that the overwhelming majority of Americans, both in swing states and nationally, generally support the Post Office. In the swing states polled, 66 percent generally support the USPS, while nationally, 69 percent do.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has passed a bill that would inject $25 billion into the postal service and reverse the changes instituted by DeJoy. However, Senate Republicans reportedly oppose the bill.