ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla — With the new postmaster general set to testify Friday before the Senate, the U.S. Postal Service is in the middle of a political debate.
"We’ve become a political football. They’re playing politics with our jobs," said Al Friedman who was a letter carrier for decades. Now he’s the president of the Florida State Association of Letter Carriers.
"We’ve always been able to deliver to America," Friedman said.
President Donald Trump’s new pick for postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, is now backing off from implementing some policy changes.
DeJoy says for now, blue mailboxes will stay in place, retail hours at post offices will not change and no mail processing facilities will be closed.
Those proposed changes had the potential to delay mail delivery, even of mail-in ballots. Many suspect those changes were a political move to support Trump’s reelection.
Friedman said, "I hope it isn’t. But then again, why are we in the middle of this when we’re just the messenger?"
Teresa Miska and Veronika Feltmen walked out of the St. Augustine Post this week. They both use it regularly. They have mailed-in their ballots for several elections, with no problems.
Miska said, "Voting is such an essential right. I believe it’s very important to be able to do that if you don’t want to go out to the polls."
Friedman says send in your mail-in ballots sooner rather than later.
"We segregate it and keep them separate like we’re told to, so they can process them quicker than first-class mail, but they will get priority to get in and to get out," he said.
In Florida, you can also take your mail-in ballot to secure drop boxes at Supervisor of Elections' main and branch offices. They are also at early voting sites in your county.
You may need to contact your county’s elections office to see where those sites are.