Absentee ballots, including those
printed at Runbeck Election Ser-
vices in Phoenix, were eventually used
to cast votes by about 60 million Ameri-
cans, more than have ever voted by mail
in any U.S. election. After California, the
most populous state, sent ballots to all
its active registered voters, at least 12
million were returned, compared with
roughly eight and a half million in 2016.
In Florida — a swing state with many
older residents, who are particularly
vulnerable to contracting Covid-19 —
4.9 million people voted by mail.
For the post offi ce, shepherding all
these votes was only the latest challenge
in an already exhausting year. In the
spring, as the corona virus fi rst surged,
letter carriers began hauling bulky deliv-
eries of toilet paper and bottled water.
Then came the quarantines: A worker’s
husband or son would test positive, and
she would be out of commission. After
Louis DeJoy, a Trump donor and political
appointee, took over as postmaster gen-
eral in June, the agency enacted policies
like curtailing overtime and getting rid
of sorting equipment. Critics blamed the
steps for causing delivery delays and saw
them as politically motivated — Presi-
dent Trump had spoken openly about
stymieing the Postal Service’s ability to
facilitate expanded mail-in voting, which
he considered disadvantageous to his
chances — and a public outcry ensued.
In August, the Postal Service suspended
the changes, but delays persisted.
A postal facility in Plant City, Fla. Previous page:
Antonio Manuel Gil, a letter carrier in Key West, Fla.
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