Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP, said Thursday that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy lied when he defended his restructuring of postal services as a step to enhance operational efficiency. "If you take out sorting machines from the post office, which were explicitly put into be rapid sorters to guarantee email is more timely, and the rationale is making it faster, that's lying."
Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP, said Thursday that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy whined when he defended his restructuring of postal services as a measure to enhance operational efficiency. "When you choose sorting machines out of the post office, that were expressly put into be quick sorters to ensure mail is more timely, and the rationale is making it quicker, that's lying."
Johnson reported the changes, outlined in an NAACP lawsuit filed Thursday from the Postal Service and DeJoy, were electorally motivated.
"It isn't only seeking to sabotage elections and subvert democracy, but it is placing people's lives at risk," explained Johnson.
In the lawsuit, the NAACP alleges that the post office failed to follow proper legal procedures before implementing DeJoy's program, rendering the reforms illegal.
The NAACP further realised that the fluctuations have led"in unreliable widespread and service delays."
A spokesperson for the Postal Service referred The Hill to a Monday announcement by DeJoy, where he said the ceremony"is ready now to handle whatever quantity of election mail it receives this autumn."
"That is ok, but the changes already made have created harm, so we're fixing the harm created," explained Johnson.
Johnson said that harm is twofold: Individuals who count on the mail for essential items like medication could suffer with postal delays, and electorally, confidence in the safety of voting by mail has been compromised.
"When you reduce the hours and ability for overtime for article workers leading into a high-volume year for the election [and] the end result will be email not delivered in a timely fashion, you are seeking to undermine our election," explained Johnson.
Johnson added that voters of color and poor voters, who are far not as inclined to take part in elections, are far more likely to be disenfranchised by activities that undermine trust in voting approaches.
In a recent poll of Latino and Black voters for Voter Participation Center and the Center for Voter Information, both teams were found to have distrust of mail-in voting strategies.
Half of Latino Republicans surveyed said they intended to vote by email, and half of Black voters said they'd prefer to do so.
Johnson said that, while improvements in minority participation have been made since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the past decade has seen"an acceleration to subvert democracy and curb the vote"
"When we truly respected and admired that this democracy, we'd stop using the practice of unemployment -- the management of voting -- as a polarized and racialized system. Voters shouldn't have to choose between their health and their right to vote and management of voting shouldn't be tempered by a desirable result," explained Johnson.
Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP, said Thursday that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy whined when he defended his restructuring of postal services as a measure to enhance operational efficiency. "When you choose sorting machines out of the post office, that were expressly put into be quick sorters to ensure mail is more timely, and the rationale is making it quicker, that's lying."
Johnson reported the changes, outlined in an NAACP lawsuit filed Thursday from the Postal Service and DeJoy, were electorally motivated.
"It isn't only seeking to sabotage elections and subvert democracy, but it is placing people's lives at risk," explained Johnson.
In the lawsuit, the NAACP alleges that the post office failed to follow proper legal procedures before implementing DeJoy's program, rendering the reforms illegal.
The NAACP further realised that the fluctuations have led"in unreliable widespread and service delays."
A spokesperson for the Postal Service referred The Hill to a Monday announcement by DeJoy, where he said the ceremony"is ready now to handle whatever quantity of election mail it receives this autumn."
"That is ok, but the changes already made have created harm, so we're fixing the harm created," explained Johnson.
Johnson said that harm is twofold: Individuals who count on the mail for essential items like medication could suffer with postal delays, and electorally, confidence in the safety of voting by mail has been compromised.
"When you reduce the hours and ability for overtime for article workers leading into a high-volume year for the election [and] the end result will be email not delivered in a timely fashion, you are seeking to undermine our election," explained Johnson.
Johnson added that voters of color and poor voters, who are far not as inclined to take part in elections, are far more likely to be disenfranchised by activities that undermine trust in voting approaches.
In a recent poll of Latino and Black voters for Voter Participation Center and the Center for Voter Information, both teams were found to have distrust of mail-in voting strategies.
Half of Latino Republicans surveyed said they intended to vote by email, and half of Black voters said they'd prefer to do so.
Johnson said that, while improvements in minority participation have been made since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the past decade has seen"an acceleration to subvert democracy and curb the vote"
"When we truly respected and admired that this democracy, we'd stop using the practice of unemployment -- the management of voting -- as a polarized and racialized system. Voters shouldn't have to choose between their health and their right to vote and management of voting shouldn't be tempered by a desirable result," explained Johnson.