KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
The Santa Clarita United States Postal Service (USPS) Processing & Distribution Center (P&DC) was cited in a nationwide audit aimed at evaluating the Postal Service’s preparedness for the 2020 election, which found several “concerns” surrounding their ability to “ensure the timely delivery of election and political mail.”
On Monday, USPS officials released their findings from an audit they conducted between May and June to determine the processing readiness of election-related mail for the upcoming 2020 general election.
“The Postal Service plays a vital role in the American democratic process and this role continues to grow as the volume of election and political mail increases,” the audit reads. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an expected increase in the number of Americans who will choose to vote by mail and avoid in-person voting.”
The audit was conducted during special and primary elections held during the months of May and June in 2020. It included reviewing operations at P&DC’s that were processing mail for a special or primary election in each of the seven Postal Service areas, which were:
- Santa Clarita
- Portland
- Indianapolis
- Baltimore
- Charleston
- Brooklyn
- Oklahoma City
Postal Service officials noted that the audit did not include an evaluation on the recent operational changes, nor the “significant increases in delayed mail” during the summer. A separate project has been launched to investigate these items.
“While the Postal Service has made progress in preparing for the 2020 general election, there are concerns surrounding integrating stakeholder processes with Postal Service processes to help ensure the timely delivery of election and political mail,” the audit reads.
The audit lists these “potential concerns” as the following:
- Ballots mailed without barcode mail tracking technology
- Ballot mailpiece designs that result in improper processing
- Election and Political Mail likely to be mailed too close to the election, resulting in insufficient time for the Postal Service to process and deliver the mailpieces
- Postmark requirements for ballots
- Voter addresses that are out of date.
See Related: USPS Mail Sorting Machines Reportedly Dismantled In Santa Clarita
“Resolving these issues will require higher-level partnerships and cooperation between the Postal Service and various state officials, including secretaries of state and state election boards,” the audit reads. “Timely delivery of election and political mail is necessary to ensure the integrity of the U.S. election process.”
Out of the 15-day evaluation period for individual centers, the Santa Clarita P&DC was specifically found to have not completed their daily certification that all political and election mail was cleared from the facility in a “timely manner” twice, which is the most out of any of the seven centers that were evaluated.
Additionally, officials found that the Santa Clarita center had not used the “Operational Clean Sweep Search Checklist,” nor had they completed the standard daily self-audit checklist.
The majority of the P&DC’s that were evaluated similarly did not regularly use these tools, resulting in roughly 8 percent of all identifiable election and political mail between April and June not being delivered on time.
“All of these issues occurred due to a lack of management oversight and unclear guidance regarding who is responsible for completing all-clear certifications, checklists, and logs, and ensuring issues are resolved, and how often these items should be completed and maintained,” the audit reads. “Not completing and using these tools could result in processing delays and lower service performance for election and political mail.”
The Santa Clarita P&DC services the Pacific region for the Postal Service, and was evaluated during the time leading up the special runoff election in May between now-Congressman Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, and Assemblywoman Christy Smith, D-Santa Clarita.
The full audit report can be found here.
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If we can wear a mask to go to the store we can stand in line with a Mask to Vote in person! I don’t see what the problem is with DemoRats Forcing us to Vote only by mail.
It seems silly Conservatives don’t trust mail in ballots but they’re so gullible for online chum box polls. If they haven’t figured out right from wrong by now they’re not going to by November.
No one is forcing you to vote by mail. It has always been an option in many states, including California. We have heard 3 1/2 years of distrust and paranoia about so many of our American institutions, that now, pathetically, some people are suspicious of everything!
I toss every giant postcard, without reading it. Absurd premise. Did whoever started it not think everyone else could do it too. Politicians are the worst.
Well, well, well, who do you think was appointed May 6th. by the USPS Board of Governors; all selected by Herr Trump, to be Postmaster General?
If you guessed Louis DeJoy, you’d be correct. If that name sounds familiar, think : Removal of high-speed postal sorting machines just in time for the upcoming election. THAT Louis DeJoy.
Is anybody paying attention?!.
Denny, the audit was done before Louis DeJoy was able to make any changes so these problems preexist him. Also, DeJoy was put there because of his experience with his own successful logistics company in an effort to turn the USPS around after decades of problems. Your Trump Derangement Syndrome affects every aspect of your life, sad.
Well said Berta González-Harper,
The report says junk mail (political advertising) may prevent official balloting mail from getting through in a timely manner. Inscrutable malign actors could use late October mass mailings to sabotage the mail-in voting and incite more fear and loathing.
Denny is right. Berta is in denial. Poor Berta. Can’t see Trump’s corruption. Can’t see that La Joy is in Donald’s pocket. Regardless of when the audit was done which by the way, the specific date of the audit wasn’t given I hope Trump lovers mail there ballots. I am not lazy. I will put on a mask and stand in line if I have to and vote in person. I watched the Congress question La Joy and I saw him answer. He doesn’t care about you Berta. Stop drinking Trump’s Coolaid as there is still hope for you to be a decent person. Thankfully there are people like Denny who can see through Trump’s lies and pathology. Have a good day everyone. Do your part and wear your masks when your in public. Stay six feet away from me and cover your nose too.
I can’t imagine the Santa Clarita USPS distribution center handling mail In voting ballot. This distribution center is chaos. Supervisors are really trying and management is just ridiculous. I was hired in May 2020 to work at the distribution center. I had one day of orientation mainly to go over paperwork before I started the mail handler position. I was told I would have training the next day, so the next day I went in no one knew who I was what my position was or where I would be working. I was told to just go over there to where the mail is and figure out the mail handler position. NO TRAINING AT ALL. So myself and a couple of new other workers just started trying to figure out where to put mail and of course we just started guessing and putting it wherever we thought was the correct place. Again because we had no formal training. some of the new employees that had been there for 2 to 3 days for training the brand new employees. The employees that had been there for 20+ years were of no help to any of the new employees. It seem like they were just there waiting to collect a paycheck and a pension while walking around the distribution center not doing much. We were asked to work a 10 to 12 hour shift and were told it was mandatory. Myself and some of the other employees were never giving it any proper PPE we were expected to bring our own face coverings. A few days later we were advised one of the employees in our unit came down with COVID-19. We were not given any advice on testing for the virus or any other options as to how we should proceed incase we contracted the Covid 19 virus. Many of the new employees starting to just walk out on the job. Two days later I felt it was not safe and also left due to the chaos of no management taking responsibility, no proper PPE, and not feeling safe having to go back to my family and possibly spreading the COVID-19 virus. So when I think of the Santa Clarita USPS distribution center handling mail in ballots for the election, I can say there is a big possibility they would tossed everywhere and anywhere because if they couldn’t handle regular mail I’m sure they’re not gonna be able to handle mail in ballots. The Santa Clarita USPS distribution center is in definite need of an overhaul of the center. Starting with management.
I sent a package from Michigan on 11/17/2020 to Sun Valley, California, Priority 2 day delivery. It arrived in Santa Clarita, California two days later. I received a notice on 11/23 that it was being processed and that is the end of my information. Thank you for sharing this information, which explains why the recipient, my son, as of 12/12/2020, has yet to receive this special gift that I sent to him for Thanksgiving Holiday. I have recently placed a complaint and a search for lost package to the UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT POSTAL SERVICE. I certainly hope your story reaches the top executives and doesn’t just fall on deaf ears, as these people are paid by us, through our tax money!!!
There are no neighborhood polling places anymore. We have to drive to vote centers. There’s no way they can handle in person voting for everyone.
Oops correction. Mail ” their” ballots. If you are able bodied and it can be managed, vote in person. Save room in the mailing for people who live in areas where Republicans practice voter suppression in places they know are blue because the polling gets few and far between and it will be hours of waiting. Limit any unnecessary mail transactions till after the election as we get closer. And remember it’s Trump who says mail in voting is unreliable and riddled with fraud. He told people in North Carolina to vote twice. Once by mail and once in person. That’s illegal. What does this tell us? No perfect answer because he is going to cheat any way he can. That’s what he does. He has been doing it since he learned how to talk..