United States: postal voting, one of the challenges of the election

Protest outside a USPS office in Royal Oak, Michigan on August 22, 2020. Protesters are calling for the resignation of the current U.S. Post Office boss, Republican and major donor to the Conservative Party. REUTERS / Rebecca Cook

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2 min

In the United States, postal voting is already used for elections, but Democrats want to extend this possibility for the next presidential election. On the other hand, Donald Trump is opposed to it and fears fraud. The US president even called the post a joke. This Saturday therefore took place a political vote all the more rare as it is held on a weekend, in the middle of the summer break.

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With our correspondent in Houston, Thomas Harms

Urgently summoned in the middle of the holidays, the House of Representatives voted this Saturday in favor of a plan to help the United States Postal Service (USPS).

All Democrats voted for, all Republicans against. This law provides for the release of 25 billion in aid for the post in order to prevent postal voting, accused by Donald Trump of being the cause of future fraud, from being endangered for the November election.

Delays in mail deliveries are a real problem in the United States, especially in the midst of a pandemic, when millions of homes depend on the post for unemployment benefits, social assistance or medical prescriptions.

But this vote is above all symbolic. Senate Speaker Mitch McConnell has already announced that this law would not be presented to the upper house if it is not part of a more comprehensive coronavirus aid law.

On Friday, the director of the United States Post Office (elected by the governors) promised to stop all mailbox redeployment operations and any changes involving mail delivery until the day after the presidential election. But Democrats don't believe it.

Donald Trump has already threatened to veto this law if it was still passed by both houses of Congress.

► To read also: US presidential election: the Democrats want to "save" the post office from the "sabotage" of Trump

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  • United States
  • USA Elections 2020

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