Nashville’s downtown post office again option for last minute absentee ballots in November election – Tennessean
Davidson County voters concerned about delays in mail delivery will once again have the option to drop off their completed absentee ballot at Nashville’s downtown post office.
Unlike many other states, Tennessee does not allow residents to deliver their absentee ballots to secure drop boxes.
But in the days leading up to the August primary, the Davidson County Election Commission said voters could bring their ballot to the main post office at 901 Broadway — where the election office has its official post office box.
Voters in the November general election will be able to do that once again, said Jeff Roberts, the county’s election administrator.
Roberts said voters have had the option ever since he’s worked at the election commission. But with nearly 28,000 absentee ballots cast in Davidson County for the August primary — a massive influx compared to previous elections — Roberts said the election commission needed to advertise the drop off option at the post office.
“We expect the same situation to happen in November,” he said, particularly as he estimates as many has 100,000 voters will choose an absentee ballot for the general election.
On Monday, the Davidson County Election Commission once again noted the option on Twitter.
In recent days, Democrats have raised concerns about changes at the postal service, including reduced mail deliveries, which have caused backlogs, and removal of public collection boxes in some states. Further stoking Democrats’ concerns, President Donald Trump has opposed more funding for the postal service while sowing doubt about absentee ballots.
Over the weekend, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., accused U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy of tampering with the mail, which is a federal crime, at the behest of Trump.
DeJoy is set to appear before a Congressional committee in the coming days.
On Tuesday, DeJoy said he would pause operational changes at the post office until after the November election.
Unlike others, Roberts said he was not overly alarmed by the recent letter from the U.S. Postal Service sent to 46 states, in which officials warned about delivery delays.
“There’s a lot of concern and noise about the post office not being able to deliver,” Roberts said. “I think it was a heads up from the post office to the voters to give yourself a little more time.”
Like he did in the lead up to the August primary, Roberts encouraged anyone who obtains an absentee ballot to not delay returning it until the final days of the general election.
While voters in Tennessee have been able to apply for an absentee ballot since Aug. 5, Roberts said ballots won’t be sent out in Davidson County until mid-September. The delay is because the ballots for city elections in Goodlettsville, Belle Meade and Forest Hills and a local school board election need to be finalized. Tennessee voters have until Oct. 27 to request an absentee ballot for the general election.
Despite Tennessee banning drop off boxes for absentee ballots, Roberts said Davidson County voters have the option because of where the local election commission’s postal box is located.
“You hand it to the clerk, they essentially turn around and put it in our post office box,” he said. “You eliminate as much of mail delivery as possible.”
In order to have a ballot counted, voters will need to have their completed ballot in the election commission’s mail box before the post office closes at 5 p.m. Officials will pick up the final ballots just before the building closes.
Although the option shortcuts the mail delivery service, Roberts said absentee ballots turned in at the downtown post office will still need a stamp. “You still have to put postage on it,” he said. “You’re paying for the postal delivery.”
Roberts praised the postal service as “very good partners” during the August election. “We did not hear a lot of problems from the voters that chose to vote by mail,” he said.
Overall, Roberts said he anticipates more than 100,000 absentee ballots in Davidson County for the November election.
Pointing to the 127,000 total votes cast in this year’s primary, he said there could be 300,000 total votes in November. As a result, Roberts said the election commission is hiring additional employees who can help process absentee ballots. “We will scale that up as more and more requests come in,” he said.
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Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.
Published 3:16 PM EDT Aug 18, 2020
