The NAACP announced on Thursday it is suing the United States Postal Service (USPS) and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy as a result of issues related to operational changes.
The organization released a statement outlining the reasoning behind its decision.
The NAACP’s lawsuit accuses DeJoy of hindering timely mail distribution, implementing policies negatively affecting postal workers, and sabotaging the Postal Service in order to disenfranchise voters of color.
“As the country faces an uphill battle against COVID-19 and systemic racism, we’re witnessing a significant onslaught against our postal system at a time when prompt mail delivery matters more than ever, especially for voters of color,” Derrick Johnson, President, and CEO of the NAACP said.
He added, “This willful and blatant attempt to obstruct the mail system amidst a pandemic and on the precipice of a pivotal election is a direct threat to the people of this nation’s right to vote in a fair and free election.”
According to the statement, the lawsuit “seeks to suspend these changes and restore prompt and reliable mail delivery and ensure that mail-in ballots are a priority as they have been in past years.”
The organization claims since DeJoy made these changes, towns and rural areas have not received their mail in time or have not received any at all in a matter of days or weeks.
It argues the “cynical attack” on the Postal Service puts our democracy “in danger.”
“The NAACP is committed to fighting long and hard to ensure its members and the people of this nation have unfettered access to the ballot box, whether by voting in-person or by utilizing mail-in voting,” the organization said.
On Tuesday, DeJoy issued a statement revealing he would be placing all operational changes on hold until after the November election, as IJR previously reported.
The Democratic-led House will vote on a bill on Saturday that would provide the agency with $25 billion in funding and prevent DeJoy from implementing changes in effect at the beginning of this year, as IJR previously reported.
