USPS ordered to speed up ballot delivery in Detroit, AG Dana Nessel supports order

DETROIT - Ballots in Detroit may now be delivered faster, after a U.S. district court judge released a detailed order to the United States Postal Service on Saturday. 

The order came from Judge Stanley Bastian and it requires the USPS to speed up the delivery of ballots in two regions of Michigan. One of those regions happens to be Detroit, which has been reported to have the worst delivery time of first class mail in the country. 

The order specifically states the following: 
•    If USPS identifies any incoming ballots in its “all clear” processes in these facilities from the date of this order through Election Day, it shall make every effort to deliver those ballots by 8:00 PM local time on Election Day as required by Michigan law, including by using Priority Mail Express and/or other extraordinary measures;
•    If USPS identifies any outgoing ballots in its “all clear” processes in these facilities between the date of this order and November 1, 2020, it shall make every effort to deliver those ballots to voters on or before November 2, 2020, including by using Priority Mail Express or other extraordinary measures.

Bastian decided to release the order after a status conference with USPS and a coalition of 13 plaintiff states, including Michigan. Michigan Attorney General, Dana Nessel, was a part of the coalition of states to file a lawsuit against USPS in August, following slowdowns in mail service. 

“The slowdown of mail delivery in our state - especially in Detroit - has had a dramatic negative impact on the timely delivery of absentee ballots,” said Nessel. 

Nessel will play a vital role in the order because it requires her as the state’s Attorney General to have “reasonable access to USPS facilities to monitor.” 

While Nessel views this as a solution, she said voters shout still confirm their ballots have been received by clicking here.