Unanswered calls to USPS, undelivered mail and ballots concern WA residents

Residents in Northwest Washington are missing mail, including primary ballots, medications and important documents.

The Bellingham Herald has received multiple tips and pleas from the Ferndale area and social media sites have been flooded with questions about missing mail. Calls and emails to the Seattle office of the U.S. Postal Service have gone unanswered.

So, where is your mail?

Whatcom has not been the only area affected. Snohomish and Island counties have also reportedly suffered from post office problems including delayed mail and packages containing medications, passports and bills, unserved home mailboxes, election ballots not being delivered or picked up, and hours-long lines at the post office, according to a Thursday, July 28, press release from U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene.

The reports have flooded the offices of DelBene and Rep. Rick Larsen, according the press release. The representatives said they are pushing for improvements.

When the lawmakers asked the Postal Service why the delays were occurring, a far-too-familiar answer was given: staff shortages.

“While we understand that the entire country is grappling with workforce shortages, we believe there are steps USPS can take in the short-term to boost hiring, training, and retention,” DelBene and Larson wrote.

The mail issues come at an inconvenient time, with the Washington state primary election less than a week away.

“Washington uses an entirely vote-by-mail system and our primary election is less than a week away, so an efficient postal service is essential for the timely delivery and return of ballots. Some facilities in the area have a significant backlog of ballots that have yet to be delivered and lack staff to run delivery routes every day,” DelBene and Larsen wrote.

As many across Washington are still wondering where their important mail could be, the lawmakers wrote a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, including requests for:

▪ A detailed list of all steps the agency is taking to ensure the timely delivery and return of election mail.

▪ Information on what measures the agency is taking to help with the staffing shortages in Washington.

▪ Information on what steps the agency is taking to prepare for the November general election so there are no issues with election ballots.

▪ Information on how the agency is working to improve timely mail delivery.

▪ Information on if there are additional resources Congress can provide to assist the Postal Service during staffing shortages and help improve mail delivery time.