Postal consolidation could impact state elections process

Editor:

Dear Postmaster General Donahoe,

As the United States Postal Service considers its plan to consolidate mail processing operations in Montana and other states, it is important to highlight the impact the proposal could potentially have on a state's elections process.

Here in Montana, an increasing number of our citizens are choosing to vote by mail. In Montana's 2010 Federal General Election, 47 percent of the votes were cast by absentee mail ballot. That's a large increase from just 10 years ago, when only 15 percent of the votes were cast by absentee ballot. We fully anticipate the...