U.S. Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH5) sent a letter, signed by U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and eight other Republican House members from Ohio to Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Louis DeJoy urging the United States Postal Service to work with the State of Ohio, to ensure the timely and accurate delivery of election-related materials prior to the November elections.
The focus of the letter is on the performance of the United States Postal Service Michigan Metroplex Facility in Pontiac, Michigan. In a press release from Latta’s office, he claims that while “(t)he local postal carriers and the people who work to deliver the mail do a great job, but unfortunately, for years, the United States Postal Service Michigan Metroplex Facility has failed to reliably deliver mail, including bills and absentee ballots, to residents of Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District.
This stems, Latta said, from the US Postal Services moves to consolidate operations in Ohio, including the closing of several mail processing plants.
The letter states: ““The consequences of these efforts vary from district to district. For example, in Northwest Ohio, a new system was arranged where mail would be sent to the Michigan Metroplex for processing and sorting, before heading to its destination. Unfortunately, this process has created delays and added time to the delivery of each mail piece. In addition to delivery delays, there was an increase in complaints from constituents about lost or discarded mail, including absentee balloting materials.”
After touring the plant and talking with USPS officials after the 2016 when significant delays in delivering absentee ballots occurred, Latta said he was assured improvements would be made. But communications with constituents show they have not been, the press release states.
Latta to wrote a letter to the Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service in June 2020 to request a formal inquiry into the possibility of transferring the mail processing responsibilities for Northwest Ohio from the USPS Michigan Metroplex Facility to either the Cleveland Mail Processing Plant or the Columbus Mail Processing Plant. The USPS replied that it would not consider transferring the mail processing responsibilities from Pontiac to either Cleveland or Columbus will be made.
Earlier this month when Latta surveyed constituents about the issue 3,015 constituents, 85.9 percent of the respondents, indicated that they had problems with mail delivery.
The signatories call on the USPS to work with Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose to implement procedures “to protect Ohioans’ constitutional right to vote.”
They are calling for:
1) nightly all-clear inspections of mail facilities to ensure all election-related materials are sent out.
2) more processing carried out within Ohio at local Post Offices or Ohio-based mail processing facilities
3) local USPS representatives building relationships with county boards of elections and establishing intakes/drop offs for election-related materials.
These suggestions, the letter states, “are based on the procedures that were implemented before the Ohio Primary Elections that were held this past spring.”
Asked about the impact of President Trump’s critical statements about the postal service, Latta wrote: “This is not a new problem. … Prior to Trump being elected into office, since the Obama Administration, my constituents have faced significant hardships when sending or receiving mail that is processed at the Michigan Metroplex Facility in Pontiac, Michigan. I fought to keep the Toledo plant open, and I’ve advocated to transfer the mail processing responsibilities for Northwest Ohio from the USPS Michigan Metroplex Facility to either the Cleveland Mail Processing Plant or the Columbus Mail Processing Plant. I will continue working to ensure the timely and accurate delivery of absentee ballots and all mail. There may be issues in other states but I have the utmost faith in Secretary of State LaRose to make it safe, secure, and easy to vote in person or by absentee in this election, as long as mail gets there in a timely manner.”
Nick Rubando, a Democrat from Bowling Green challenging Latta in November issued a statement saying the letter was not enough. “A penned letter asking for teamwork does not protect the solvency of the program.”
Rubando stated: “If Latta wanted to see actual change, he wouldn’t be asking the help of the Postmaster General and the Ohio Secretary of State; DeJoy has actively dismembered the postal system and LaRose has prevented accessible drop boxes for timely ballot returns. If Latta is genuinely concerned about preserving the USPS, he could have voted in favor of the Democratic House Bill that would have allotted $25 billion to USPS among other COVID-19 relief programs.”
Beside Latta and Portman, the letter was signed by Steve Chabot (R-OH1), Brad R. Wenstrup, (R-OH2), Bill Johnson (R-OH6) Bob Gibbs (R-OH7), Mike Turner (R-OH10), Troy Balderson (R-OH12), Steve Stivers (R-OH15), and Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH16).
Read the full text of the letter here.
