A federal judge on Thursday approved an agreement between the US Postal Service (USPS) and civil rights groups that would take steps to ensure that Georgia absentee ballots are delivered in time for the state’s two second elections next month.
The parties filed the agreement in court late on Wednesday in an effort to “avoid the costs and burdens of further lawsuits between now and the Georgia elections.”
The deal is the culmination of numerous ongoing lawsuits filed by groups such as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Vote Forward, which were originally in response to Trump’s postal service cuts.
“Each ballot must be counted, and this agreement with the USPS is an important step in ensuring that the mail-in voting process for the elections in Georgia ensures that ballots are delivered on time,” said Sam Spital, the disputes director of the Legal Defense Fund. said in a statement. “The agreement provides for the prioritization of ballot issuance, the timely resolution of any delays in the delivery system, and transparency in the USPS process to ensure that voters are not taken away.”
The Department of Justice, which represents the postal service in the cases, has appealed court orders to strike the postmaster general Louis DeJoy
Louis DeJoyDeJoy’s calendar released by the post has been almost completely redacted. Postal workers report backlogs across the country during the holiday season. The event that the ballots with insured mail would be counted MOREguidelines issued earlier this year to reduce delivery services.
DeJoy made significant changes to personnel, equipment and other services in June and July, citing the need to reduce costs amid the coronavirus pandemic. The move led to pushback from Democrats and critics who accused the Postmaster, a selection President Trump
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The agreement requires Georgia’s postal facilities to regularly search for undelivered ballots until the January 5 elections and to continue to use expedited delivery services for mail-in ballots.
Prosecutors agreed to seek further warrants in their cases from federal district court in Washington, DC, only after the election.
The two Senate races in Georgia will decide which side will run the Senate as President-elect Joe Biden
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The news of the deal comes because the mail has suffered serious postal delays over the holidays.