Dec. 19 (UPI) — The United States Postal Service said on Friday it had settled with NAACP over mail delays that the civil rights group alleged were intended to influence the 2020 election outcome.
The settlement stems from a lawsuit brought last year by the NAACP alleging that the Postal Service wasn’t doing enough to address delivery delays when large swaths of the country were relying on mail to turn in ballots during the 2020 election.
As part of the settlement, the Postal Service agreed to meet with NAACP in the months before each national primary and general election through 2028. The Postal Service will also provide weekly reports on service performance during the six weeks leading up to general elections. Additionally, the Post Service will post official guidance related to election mail on its website.
Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement that the agreement will protect the right to vote for all citizens, “including those often suppressed.” He called the agreement an “unprecedented victory for civil rights.”
“When we fight, we win. Ballot box or mailbox, a vote is a vote, and each vote is sacred,” he said. “No one, including the USPS, should ever stand in the way of our constitutional rights.”
Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta also issued a statement welcoming the settlement saying it “reflects the commitment of all of the parties to appropriately handling and prioritizing election mail.”
The lawsuit targeted Louis DeJoy, the postmaster general installed by former President Donald Trump. During the 2020 election, DeJoy faced scrutiny over cost-cutting measures critics worried would slow the delivery of mail-in ballots. Over the summer, it was revealed the FBI was investigating DeJoy over an alleged private sector campaign finance scheme.
