General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTo all current United States Postal Service employees and managers
Last edited Mon Jul 6, 2026, 01:11 PM - Edit history (1)
I worked for and retired from the USPS after a 44 year career, starting out as a clerk-carrier and retiring as a Postmaster. I have worked during every single election held since 1966. During these years, we had certain rules during elections which we all followed to ensure all ballots and election materials were delivered in a timely fashion. All incoming political mail, which was logged in on day of receipt and logged in on day of delivery, and how many pieces weren't delivered due to bad addresses or for whatever reason. Politicians and prospective elected officials had the ability to call our office and find out information on receipt and delivery of their paid for political mail. We also, every single one of us, followed religiously, the Hatch Act. We never discI worked for and retired from the USPS after a 44 year career, starting out as a clerk-carrier and retiring as a Postmaster. I have worked during every single election held since 1966. Dring these years, we had certain rules during elections which we all followed to ensure all ballots and election materials were delivered in a timely fashion. All incoming political mail, which was logged in on day of receipt and logged in on day of delivery, and how many pieces weren't delivered due to bad addresses or for whatever reason. Politicians and prospective elected officials had the ability to call our office and find out information on receipt and delivery of their paid for political mail. We also, every single one of us, followed religiously, the Hatch Act. We never discussed politics at work with each other or with the public. This political mail reporting form also included all voting materials sent out by the state including their ballots which they have to fill out to vote.
Every election, we also receive a pkt of information from our district USPS showing us which labeling form to use for all the different return ballots as we service more than one county at our local PO. We have the carriers separate return ballots from their other collection mail so the ballots can be isolated and swiftly returned to the county clerk for them to verify and count. If a carrier comes in late from their route and the dispatch truck has left and gone to the USPS plant, we supervisors are still required to get those ballots to either the USPS plant or to the county clerk. I have driven many times to USPS plant with late mail containing ballots that came in late. We are given labels for the trays of ballots for the different counties and
take great care to label and sleeve the trays of ballots. We lived by the motto, every piece, every day.
The directive the PM General recently issued, saying no ballot will be cancelled or delivered back to election offices if the state hasn't given Trump all the personal voting information of every voter in state is illegal and goes against every regulation in USPS service manuals. We have no authority to delay mail and as a matter of fact, any PO employee who even dares deliberately to delay mail, would be fired.
Speak out about this. It's frightening how illegal this administration is conducting business and promoting people who willingly would break the law for Trump.
Write to your congressman, senator, governor and state AG and ask them to join the lawsuit against this illegal action.
ussed politics at work with each other or with the public. This political mail reporting form also included all voting materials sent out by the state including their ballots which they have to fill out to vote.
Every election, we also receive a pkt of information from our district USPS showing us which labeling form to use for all the different return ballots as we service more than one county at our local PO. We have the carriers separate return ballots from their other collection mail so the ballots can be isolated and swiftly returned to the county clerk for them to verify and count. If a carrier comes in late from their route and the dispatch truck has left and gone to the USPS plant, we supervisors are still required to get those ballots to either the USPS plant or to the county clerk. I have driven many times to USPS plant with late mail containing ballots that came in late. We are given labels for the trays of ballots for the different counties and
take great care to label and sleeve the trays of ballots. We lived by the motto, every piece, every day.
The directive the PM General recently issued, saying no ballot will be cancelled or delivered back to election offices if the state hasn't given Trump all the personal voting information of every voter in state is illegal and goes against every regulation in USPS service manuals. We have no authority to delay mail and as a matter of fact, any PO employee who even dares deliberately to delay mail, would be fired.
Speak out about this. It's frightening how illegal this administration is conducting business and promoting people who willingly would break the law for Trump.
Write to your congressman, senator, governor and state AG and ask them to join the lawsuit against this illegal action.
alwaysinasnit
(5,682 posts)2naSalit
(105,302 posts)popsdenver
(2,894 posts)are going all out to destroy the USPS
They want it to be obliterated, so that private corporations can take it over........
People don't realize, especially all the Trumphumping Republican voters in Rural America, that they will be the worst hit........
A letter costing 15 bucks, and only delivered once a week to a "post office" where you will have to pick it up? AND packages UPS, FedEx etc will dramatically increase in price, as these companies will then all have to do the last mile delivery themselves to a "post office" location that you will have to drive to when a package comes to you, again once a week......
Also, worst of all, this will end the existence of the largest? union in America...............wipe it out overnight........
A win-win for the Republican Tyranny.......
UPS and Fed EX donate a lot of money to the GOP. They want to take over USPS business and the GOP want to take over all the USPS buildings and land. They are salivating at all the commercial property they could steal from us. Keep on writing letters and emails to your US Rep and/or Senator to stop messing with the USPS and fund it. US Constitution mentions that they must be a Postal Service for Americans. PLus, destroying the USPS would mess up mail delivery all over the world.
popsdenver
(2,894 posts)ALL 70+Million Dem Voters, go to their local post office and buy a roll of forever stamps......
70,000,000......x......75.00 = 5,250, 000,000 ......flood the USPS with money to prove that they are not "losing" money......
live love laugh
(16,590 posts)Pelosi worked to overturn this and that freed up millions while Dejoy was simultaneously sabotaging the process. The only way they could be out of money is if its been stolen.
popsdenver
(2,894 posts)Trump pulled union coverage and representation for a million federal workers. If that ain't illegal, I don't know what is legal or illegal. People vote to have union coverage and people like Trump, Bezos, Musk and Starbucks owners don't like unions because they don't want anyone getting a decent salary with benefits. Vote Blue full ticket in November and lets take back the House and Senate. WE CAN DO IT!
Totally Tunsie
(12,266 posts)He did his damage at the time, but that's now been taken over by his successor, David Steiner.
popsdenver
(2,894 posts)but DeJoy's hatchet job, and the things he dictated, also continue to plague the USPS each and every day.....
You know what bothers me the most TT ???????? The "Do Nothing" dems just stood back and watched, without saying much, if anything....about what DeJoy was doing.......
As they have for almost 46+ years now.........."Taking the High Road'....."Writing sternly worded letters"....."Being Concerned" etc etc
And here we are.....once again......coming up on yet another election.....with the Republicans attempting to do all kinds of different things to corrupt the election, and the dems are still, for the most part.... without any kind of leadership or protest by the majority of the Dem Politcians in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House......
The Dem voters themselves, have had to currently organize to do what little is being done....evidenced by what just happened in Colorado. By rejecting several of Colorado's "Do Nothing" Democrat politicians.........Hickenlooper was damned lucky he somehow got missed in the purge......
Many of us here have been screaming our heads off since 1980, when HW and his CABAL committed Treason to install Reagan in the White House. We were still screaming our heads off about the 2000 election when the Republicans coerced the U.S. Supreme Court to un-constitutionally intervene in the election and throw the Election, same with the 2004 election, and most certainly in the 2016 election.......
SWBTATTReg
(26,562 posts)many people who worked for the Post Office (STLMO has a sorting center downtown STLMO). So we got to know as friends many of the folks who worked at the Post Office.
ultralite001
(2,871 posts)+ thank you for this information.
calimary
(91,668 posts)Points EXCEEDINGLY well-made and well-taken!
Your last sentence is Absolutely EPIC. AND well worth following!
louis-t
(24,707 posts)"Postage prices should be tripled". He actually it. It's recorded. No one should be surprised when it happens.
popsdenver
(2,894 posts)prices will more than triple when they obliterate the USPS and privatize the business to FedEx and UPS......
Wait until all those Rural Republican TrumpHumper voters see a 15 dollar stamp to deliver a letter to them in Rural America......
And when Fedex and UPS start having to raise rates substantially to pay to deliver packages the "Last Mile"....instead of just dumping it on the USPS to do it for them at a cheap rate.......like they do now...........
Karasu
(2,433 posts)dave99
(815 posts)Not forgotten here.
In all Republican locations not reenforced
Connecting ALL US Citizens to each other
Live on a mountain side, deep valley, on edge of desert, in a tall building, on a dark alley, the other side of the rail tracks, by the side port of a river, small shack, huge mansion, tiny business, corporate headquarters, etc.., the parcel/letter/item WILL BE DELIVERED !
DHL/FexEx/UPS/etc.. WILL NOT DO SO, no matter how much $$$ you throw at them, no profit.
Ben Franklin knew what he was helping create, keep the Union Together.
canetoad
(21,290 posts)Interesting post, thank you. I enjoy learning about various jobs and how they all contribute to a working society.
maliaSmith
(227 posts)The USPS is a service and was never intended to make a huge profit. Neither is SS, or Medicare. They are services and GOP continually mess with them as their main goal is to destroy all three of these services. This is why they keep jacking up the prices which is insane. They just want to destroy the USPS. How about everyone mail a letter once a week to one of your loved ones. Send a card or letter for absolutely no reason at all except sending a hug by mail to your sweeties.
MustLoveBeagles
(18,625 posts)biophile
(1,738 posts)While not a postal worker myself, eventually I did work for the federal government in the VA hospital system. I was grateful for our union.
Very proud of our federal employee heritage!
oasis
(54,486 posts)maxrandb
(17,579 posts)and Donnie Dipshit's band of corrupt fucksticks won't be around forever.
Oh, and like some French people found out, guillotines don't recognize, or respect pardons.
Stacey Grove
(232 posts)and I mean that.
Hope22
(4,986 posts)Do not let them touch your voted ballot!!! I walk mine into the office. No middle man!!
FakeNoose
(43,302 posts)... and I've always dropped my ballots (as well as other important mail) in the box in front of the main office. It really speeds up delivery. However we have no mail problem in Pittsburgh, our postal workers would never pay attention to an illegal, politically-motivated directive anyway.
Hope22
(4,986 posts)I would not be happy if the BOE marked it not received though. So you go in and get a replacement ballot and then they arrest you for voting fraud. Thats why I walk mine in. I worked the polls for years. I dont want to deal with it!
Wild blueberry
(8,426 posts)Trueblue Texan
(4,740 posts)...a federal offense to delay the mail deliberately?
maliaSmith
(227 posts)Yes, it's against the law, however we have a corrupt D O J and SCOTUS who give Trump cover to break the law.
Bluetus
(3,403 posts)Charges can be brought any time through early November, 2031. Democrats should go on record now, saying that if we hold the Presidency in 2029, this MFer will be prosecuted. And we will ask for 6 months prison time for each occurrence of mail interference.
And grass roots Democrats need to be very clear to prospective POTUS candidates that if they don't have the backbone to do this, then they need not run. The candidate that firsts comes out stronly like this will take a commanding lead for 2028.
Bluetus
(3,403 posts)What the PG is threatening to do is a FELONY, and the Senators should have pointed that out to him when he testified. They should put him on notice that he could do a 6-month sentence plus fines FOR EACH OCCURRENCE. And the SoL for 18 U.S. Code § 1701 is 5 years.
That means the next President will have almost 3 years to bring charges. This guy could literally spend the rest of his life in prison for this.
I know I must sound like a broken record about these EOs, but EOs only apply to EMPLOYEES OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH. The postal service is not in the Executive branch and the PG is not an Executive Branch employee. The PG is hired by the Postal Board of Governors and the President has nothing to say about that. Unlike the Federal Reserve, the President doesn't even nominate the PG.