Press Releases

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) is demanding answers from the U.S. Postal Service following reports that mail sorting machines at the Redmond Post Office remain disabled, defying a September court order. In a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, DelBene requested the operating status of all delivery bar code sorter (DBCS) machines at the Redmond facility, which are capable of sorting up to 36,000 pieces of mail per hour and are critical to the efficient and timely delivery of mail.

“Veterans are no longer receiving necessary medication in a timely manner, constituents are facing late fees on bills, and small business operations are being hampered since the removal of the sorting machines. Furthermore, Washington state is an entirely vote-by-mail state, with election ballots due to be mailed to voters starting October 16, 2020. I am concerned that the removal of DBCS machines in Redmond will adversely impact the timely delivery and return of ballots,” DelBene wrote to DeJoy.

On September 17, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington issued an injunction requiring the Postal Service to replace, reassemble, or reconnect any equipment that will impede the ability of the Postal Service to process election mail for the November 2020 election. The court said disabling sorting machines will “likely will slow down delivery of ballots” and that there was a “substantial possibility that many voters will be disenfranchised and the states may not be able to effectively, timely, accurately determine election outcomes.”

Nearly a month after that injunction, the public still has not received confirmation that the machines have been restored to service.

A copy of the letter can be found here.