By Keith Whitcomb Jr. Staff Writer
State officials and are condemning remarks made by President Donald Trump about not funding the U.S. Postal Service in order to curb voting by mail.
“I think it is unfortunate when you’re trying to squelch the voices of Americans and squelch their opportunity to vote,” said Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, at a scheduled news conference on Friday. “I think during these times we should be doing all we can to make sure everyone is counted and has their voices heard through the ballot box.”
He said the recent primaries in Vermont went smoothly with no delays in reporting results, despite high turnout and a much higher than usual number of absentee ballots. He credited Secretary of State Jim Condos and Vermont’s town clerks.
The governor said he expects the president’s remarks, made at a White House press briefing and later to Fox Business, will be discussed by the National Governors Association next week.
Condos released a statement Friday on the matter. He said in an interview he’s been speaking with media for much of the day and was scheduled to give an interview on CNN Friday evening.
“Voting is the very bedrock of democracy so this blatant attempt by the President to block vote by mail cannot, and should not, be tolerated,” Condos said. “Congress must take immediate action to rebuke the President’s undemocratic attack by funding the USPS and ensuring that American voters who elect to vote by mail will not have their rights trampled upon.”
Vermont plans to mail every eligible voter a ballot for the General Election. For the primaries, postcards were sent reminding them they could request an absentee ballot, which many did.
Condos has long been a proponent of voting via mail, saying because of the pandemic no one should have to risk their health to vote.
“This issue is bigger than any one election, however,” he stated. “It’s about preserving the integrity of our democratic process. If the mail delivery system on which all election officials rely on diminishes, democracy will suffer. Our fair and free elections must prevail through this crisis, and the (U.S.) Postal Service is essential to ensuring that it does.”
Condos said his office has been in regular contact with the USPS, and he believes it can handle the mail-in voting for Vermont, but the issue is broader than the Green Mountain State itself.
He said he’s also contacted Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan, as he understands his Secretary of State counterparts across the country are contemplating a lawsuit against the Trump administration over this issue.
Condos said he believes this is an attempt by the Trump administration to privatize mail service nationwide. It’s been suggested that private companies could deliver ballots, but Condos said where the post office can send a ballot for less than $1, a private company would charge between $7 and $8.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat and vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, rebuked Trump along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican.
“The President’s actions and intentions have made this an increasingly urgent situation,” said Leahy. “Week after week and month after month, Leader McConnell has refused to begin the debate we have demanded and that we need to remedy the USPS shortfall.”
Democrats have asked that $25 billion be put into the USPS to ensure it can handle the mail-in ballots.
“We will continue to use every available tool to protect the Postal Service’s vital role in the lives of every community and every household, and in the upcoming election that is taking place during an unprecedented pandemic,” Leahy said.
For more coverage of this issue, go to A3.
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