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A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) panel advanced a proposal that would increase states’ postage cost for mail-in ballots from 20 cents to 55 cents per ballot, according to a report from The Capitol Forum.
States pay the 20-cent marketing mail rate when sending mail-in ballots to voters, but the new proposal advanced by the executive leadership team would reportedly require them to pay the standard first-class mail rate of 55 cents.
Voters already pay the standard first-class mail rate to return their ballots, though 17 states cover the cost for voters.
Sources familiar with the proposal told Capitol Forum there was “no clear rationale” for the policy except to bring in additional revenue for the cash-strapped agency, and states pressed for the lower rates to stay in place during discussions about the proposal.
Democrats passed a coronavirus relief bill in May, which would provide $25 billion to help the USPS. The counter proposal from Senate Republicans offered no money for the agency. The Democratic proposal also included $1 trillion for states facing severe revenue shortfalls, which could be further strained by the new USPS proposal. President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans have balked at the funding, and negotiations over the overall package have stalled.
If the proposal moves forward, it would still face a notice and comment period at the Postal Regulatory Commission, as well as possible legal challenges. It is unclear if the USPS could enact the proposal prior to the 2020 election, according to the report.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., called the proposal an attempt to “sabotage” the USPS ahead of the election. lt comes amid rising concerns that cost-cutting moves by new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a top donor to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, could impact the expected surge in mail voting in November.
“There are currently no pending changes to the rates and classes of mail impacting ballots,” the USPS said in a statement to Salon. “Further, the baseless assertion that we intend to raise prices in advance of the upcoming Presidential election in order to restrict voting by mail is wholly without merit, and frivolous. The Postmaster General and the organization he leads is fully committed to fulfilling our role in the electoral process. If public policy makers choose to utilize the mail as a part of their election system, we will do everything we can to deliver Election Mail in a timely manner consistent with our operational standards.”
