BILLINGS— Protesters in Billings gathered outside the downtown Billings post office Friday to speak out against an executive order from President Trump that directs the U.S. Postal Service to filter mail-in ballot delivery.
The order states its purpose is for, “reducing the risk of fraud and protecting the integrity of Federal elections.”
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USPS released proposed rules in June in response to the executive order.
“Under this proposal, states would retain full control over who would (or would not) be able to vote by mail in federal elections within each state, as states would control enrollment with the Postal Service for inclusion on the state’s Mail-In and Absentee Participation List,” states the USPS proposal.
The proposal also lays out plans for USPS to cross-reference voter names and bar codes against a state-provided list before sending the ballots out and when ballots are returned. That information would be passed on to a state database available to law enforcement.
"The post office would help determine who gets their mail-in ballot," said former USPS employee Mindy Nielsen, who protested Friday morning. “The post office's job is to deliver the mail. It's not to take care of elections.”
Kris Glenn, chair of the activist group Yellowstone Valley Citizens Council, stopped by the protest and described how the process would work under the proposed regulations.
"The post office is going to check those names and bar codes before they send out the mail ballots. And then when they come back, they're going to confirm again that they match and then they're going to pass them on," Glenn said.
She raised concerns about the added burden on postal workers.
"We're already struggling to get our mail. And adding this on top of them, along with all of the other cuts and reductions and consolidations, is just going to mess up our mail in general, plus voting," Glenn said.
Lain Dorsey, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said the proposed regulations could threaten voting rights.
"Trump is trying to determine who gets to mail in their ballots, who gets to vote,” said Dorsey. “Everybody in this country has the right to have a say in their future.”
Former USPS mail carrier Deb Senn said the postal service has a strong track record in Billings, but said employees are being stretched thin, as rural Montana deliveries get neglected.
“I was just reading this morning how small towns like in rural Montana aren't getting medicines,” said Senn. “We do want to keep vote-by-mail. It's huge for rural states too, like us.”
According to the Yellowstone County Election Office, the proposed new regulations are in the preliminary stages, and no directives have been received to implement them.
