Postal chief urges voters to request, return ballots early

WASHINGTON (AP) — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is warning that voters should request mail-in ballots at least 15 days before the Nov. 3 election to ensure they have enough time to receive their ballot, complete it and mail it back to elections officials on time.

Acknowledging an expected surge in mail-in ballots because of the coronavirus pandemic, DeJoy says voters should mail back their ballots at least seven days prior to the election. In prepared testimony Monday before the House Oversight Committee, DeJoy said the advice on mail-in ballots is similar to previous years, but is even more important this year to ensure that ballots will be delivered on time and counted -- even as volumes of mail-in ballots are expected to spike to record levels across the country.

His advice “should in no way be misconstrued to imply that we lack confidence in our ability to deliver those ballots,’’ DeJoy told the House panel in prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press. “We can, and will, handle the volume of Election Mail we receive.’’

The pre-election warning “has nothing to do with recent operational initiatives or concerns about delayed mail,’’ DeJoy said, and is merely intended to help ensure that ballots will be delivered on time and counted.

“While we will do whatever we can to deliver ballots even when they are mailed at the last second, it should also be obvious to fair-minded election officials that urging voters to mail back their ballot at least a week before the deadline is a simple and straightforward step to ensure that ballots are delivered on time and, most importantly, counted under state law,’’ he said.

DeJoy’s comments came as the oversight panel opened a hearing on operational changes at the Postal Service that have resulted in mail delays across the country.

The House...