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U.S. NEWS Thursday 25 July 2024
State election directors fear the Postal Service can’t handle

expected crush of mail-in ballots

By STEVE KARNOWSKI of each party’s strategy to
Associated Press maximize the turnout of their
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — State voters in 2024. Now Repub-
election directors from across licans, sometimes including
the country voiced serious Trump, see it as necessary
concerns to a top U.S. Postal for an election that is likely
Service official Tuesday that to be decided by razor-
the system won’t be able to thin margins in a handful of
handle an expected crush of swing states. Republicans
mail-in ballots in the Novem- once were at least as likely
ber election. as Democrats to vote by
Steven Carter, manager of mail, but Trump changed
election and government the dynamics in 2020 when
programs for the postal ser- he began to argue against it
vice, attempted to reassure months before voting began.
the directors at a meeting in Bryan Caskey, the elections
Minneapolis that the system’s director for Kansas who’s also
Office of Inspector General the association’s incoming
will publish an election mail president, asked Carter to
report next week containing consider a hypothetical ju-
“encouraging” performance Molly Woon, left, elections director with the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office, leads a panel risdiction that has a 95% on-
numbers for this year so far. discussion on mail voting on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Minneapolis, at the summer conference of time rate for mail deliveries,
“The data that that we’re the National Association of State Election Directors. She’s speaking with Steven Carter, manager which he said is better than
seeing showing improve- of election and government programs for the U.S. Postal Service. Associated Press what almost all states are
ments in the right direction,” getting.
Carter told a conference of November. They based their received her mail ballot for “We followed up and we just “That still means that in the
the National Association of fears on past problems and her own June primary. She kept getting, ‘We don’t know state that sends out 100,000
State Election Directors. “And a disruptive consolidation ended up voting in person. what happened. We don’t ballots, that’s 5,000 pissed-
I think the OIG report is espe- of postal facilities across the “We had, at last count, over know what happened.’” off, angry voters that are
cially complimentary of how country that Postmaster Gen- 80 ballots that were timely While former President Don- mad about the mail service,”
we’re handling the election eral Louis DeJoy has put on mailed as early as May for ald Trump has complained Caskey said, adding, “Actual
now.” But state election di- hold until after the elections. our June 4 primary election,” without foundation that elections are being deter-
rectors stressed to Carter that Monica Evans, executive di- Evans said, noting that her fraudulent mailed ballots mined by these delays, and
they’re still worried that too rector of the District of Co- office could have accept- cost him a second term in I just want to make sure that
many ballots won’t be deliv- lumbia Board of Elections, ed them as late as June 14, 2020, mail-in voting has be- you’re hearing why we’re so
ered in time to be counted in recounted how she never but they still arrived too late. come a key component upset.” q

Pentagon panel to review Medals of Honor given to soldiers at the

Wounded Knee massacre

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Americans, including wom- will review each award “to time. Austin said the panel the government dating to
Associated Press en and children, were killed ensure no soldier was rec- of five experts can consider the 1800s. The Wounded
WASHINGTON (AP) — The in the fight and at least an- ognized for conduct that the context of the overall Knee massacre was the
Defense Department will other 100 were wounded. did not merit recognition” incident to assess each sol- deadliest, as federal troops
review the Medals of Honor Medals of Honor were giv- and if their conduct dem- dier’s actions. shot and killed Lakota men,
that were given to 20 U.S. en to 20 soldiers from the onstrated any disqualify- The dispute continues a women and children dur-
soldiers for their actions in 7th Cavalry Regiment, and ing actions. Those could long history of conten- ing a campaign to stop a
the 1890 battle at Wound- their awards cite a range include rape or murder of tious relations between the religious practice known as
ed Knee to make sure their of actions including brav- a prisoner or attacking a tribes in South Dakota and the Ghost Dance.q
conduct merits such an ery, efforts to rescue fellow non-combatant or some-
honorable award. troops and actions to “dis- one who had surrendered.
Defense Secretary Lloyd lodge Sioux Indians” who Austin said Army Secretary
Austin ordered the review were concealed in a ra- Christine Wormuth must
by a special panel of ex- vine. provide the historical re-
perts after consultation with Native American groups, cords and documentation
the White House and the advocates, state lawmak- for the awards for each sol-
Department of the Interior. ers from South Dakota and dier to the panel by Friday.
Congress recommended a number of Congress The panel must provide a
such a review in the 2022 members have called written report no later than
defense bill, reflecting a for officials to revoke the Oct. 15, recommending
push by some lawmakers awards. that each award be either
to rescind the awards for Congress apologized in revoked or retained.
those who participated 1990 to the descendants The standards for awarding
in the massacre on South of those killed at Wounded the Medal of Honor have
Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Knee but did not revoke evolved over time, but the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pauses during a meeting
Reservation near Wounded the medals. review will evaluate the 20 with Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur at the Pentagon,
Knee Creek. In a memo signed last soldiers’ actions based on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Washington.
An estimated 250 Native week, Austin said the panel the rules in place at the Associated Press