IMMEDIATE ADOPTION
Number
200620
Version
ORIGINAL
Reference
Sponsor
ALD. RAINEY
Title
Resolution expressing support for the State of Wisconsin’s position in the lawsuit entitled State of Washington, et al., vs. Donald J. Trump, et al., challenging recent changes to the United States Postal Service.
Analysis
This resolution expresses the City of Milwaukee’s support for the State of Wisconsin’s position in a multi-state lawsuit filed against President Donald Trump, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and the United States Postal Service, challenging policy and operational changes to the Postal Service in advance of the 2020 November election.
Body
Whereas, The COVID-19 public health emergency has added a number of challenges to voter participation, including difficulties in maintaining social distancing at voting sites and protecting both voters and poll workers from potential disease transmission; and
Whereas, A desire to avoid in-person voting has led to a widespread increase in the number of voters seeking to cast mail-in ballots through the U.S. postal system as permitted by state and local election regulations; and
Whereas, Many states and election officials have taken steps to make mail-in voting easier and more widely available, and have promoted mail-in voting as a safe means of participating in the 2020 November election while avoiding the health risks associated with in-person voting; and
Whereas, Beginning in June 2020, the U.S. Postal Service, responsible for delivering what is predicted to be a substantially increased volume of mail-in ballots across the country, issued a number of policy changes that would eliminate or alter operational practices critical to the timely delivery of all mail, including mail-in ballots; and
Whereas, These changes include the removal of hundreds of collection boxes and high-speed sorting machines, reducing overtime, prohibiting late and extra trips, an ill-timed pilot program overhauling the mail delivery syst...
Click here for full text