Over the last month, the United States Postal Service found itself embroiled in scandal. With a ceaseless pandemic affecting the nation and one of the most contentious elections in decades on the horizon, there is concern about how voting will be handled if in-person voting is going to be heavily restricted in many states. Not only is the USPS underfunded and perhaps ill-equipped to handle the looming influx of mail-in ballots, but it has been under attack for years from Republicans who wish to privatize the operation.
The current Postmaster General, Louis Dejoy, is an ardent Trump supporter who has donated millions to the president’s political campaigns. Appointed to the position by Trump, who has spoken at length about his desire to privatize the postal service, Dejoy has faced criticism over the last few months for his handling of USPS operations, enacting changes that would seriously impact the postal service’s ability to complete mail-in ballots for the election in November.
After a number of states announced plans to file suit against Dejoy and the USPS for these actions, Dejoy backed down and paused the changes until after November 3. But the damage has already been done to an extent, as a $25 billion emergency funding bill passed by House Democrats has been rejected by Republicans - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel has said that the Senate will “absolutely not pass” the bill.
Below, we’ve provided maps of the ten cities with the highest number of post offices, as well as their state’s current stance on mail-in voting procedure for November’s election. A detailed breakdown of each state’s policy, including early in-person voting dates, can be found here.
1. New York City (including The Bronx, Brooklyn), NY
Locations: 167
Mail-in Ballot Status: Temporarily allowing Vote By Mail
2. Chicago, IL
Locations: 67
Mail-in Ballot Status: Requestable without excuse
3. Washington, D.C.
Locations: 60
Mail-in Ballot Status: All voters will be mailed ballots
4. Los Angeles, CA
Locations: 57
Mail-in Ballot Status: All voters will be mailed ballots
5. Houston, TX
Locations: 57
Mail-in Ballot Status: Requestable only with an excuse
