Protesters sound alarm on cuts to Postal Service

SEATTLE — Protesters have led a call to action to save the U.S. Postal Service from cuts that could cripple its ability to handle a surge in mail-in voting.

And even people across the Puget Sound added their voices to a nationwide day of action to protect the postal service.

This, a day after the U.S. Postmaster tried to reassure Americans that the mail system can handle millions more people voting by mail.

Protesters say they believe the postal service cuts are a threat to democracy itself.

"Roll back DeJoy!" the crowd shouted outside a post office in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. "Restore the machines."

It was a chant with what is becoming a familiar name, a reference to U.S. Postmaster Louis DeJoy, a Trump appointee charged with making the postal service more efficient.

But these protesters say his efforts, along with talk from the President, are a threat to the mail-in votes expected to increase dramatically during this pandemic election year.

Driving home that point was a state legislator-turned-Democratic candidate for Secretary of State.

"I've been living here since 1990," said State Rep. Gael Tarleton Ballard. "I've been voting absentee ballot, mail-in ballot and voting in person. And I know this. Our right to vote is at risk and that's when these people show up."

Indeed, some here say what DeJoy is doing is criminal.

"Sorting machines have been destroyed and they're federal property," insisted Lauren Tozzi of Ballard. "That's a felony. I think Americans should know that."

This comes a day after DeJoy told U.S. senators, "Trying to have any negative impact on the election is an outrageous claim."

He said the postal service is up to the task of delivering all mail-in ballots in time to be counted.

That did little to satisfy these protesters in Burien.

"I felt like he was not being genuine with his intentions to make this a good business model," said Angela Uhl, who organized the Burien protest. "I definitely think the efforts are there to definitely suppress people's ability to vote."

But Rance Arnold, a Trump supporter and Burien resident, said DeJoy is doing what his predecessors did without fanfare or criticism.

"And I think it's kind of crazy to think that Trump's going to," he said, looking up and counting, "September, October, November, three months — do all this stuff, very obvious what's going on, to try to steal an election. If you're trying to steal an election, you don't do it in broad daylight."

Indeed, he and many others believe the controversy is overblown.

Whether or not that may be, the issue has gotten the attention of many in this country concerned that their right to vote is at stake.

Cox Media Group