The Loss of Saturday Mail Delivery and Oregon Elections

The prospect that Saturday mail delivery would end nationwide as part of a cost-cutting move by the U.S. Postal Service could have been worse from the perspective of Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown.

Brown, whose office oversees elections, had raised concerns when the Postal Service considered ending delivery on the comparatively light delivery day of Tuesday. She noted that killing Tuesday delivery would hurt Oregon's vote-by-mail system because Tuesday is Election Day and the day when ballots pour into elections offices.

Brown spokesman Don Hamilton said this morning the fact that there's no immediate danger of losing Tuesday delivery comes as a relief to Oregon and other states that are increasingly relying on vote-by-mail and use of absentee ballots.

"The Postal Service has been critical to Oregon's vote by mail and if it absolutely has to reduce service, they're doing Oregon a favor," Hamilton said. "If they have to end one service, it's better to leave Tuesday alone."