Right on the street corner outside Dayton City Hall is a blue U.S. Postal Service mailbox. Taped to the top is a message: This Collection Point is Scheduled for Removal.
Several postal service mailboxes in downtown Dayton have notices saying they will be removed because not enough mail is being collected at those locations. Over the last few days, the USPS has received complaints from residents across the country for removing boxes ahead of the November election.
The Ohio spokesperson for USPS Naddia Dhalai said in a statement that this process of reviewing how much mail is dropped off and getting rid of rarely used boxes is routine. Notices are posted in advance to let customers give feedback before the decision is made, she said.
But Dhalai said, because of recent feedback, the postal service will not remove boxes for the next 90 days. USPS did not respond when asked whether mail will still be collected from the boxes with removal notices in Dayton.
Critics say recent changes at the postal service, including removing mail sorting machines and limiting workers’ overtime, could undermine the election. The Trump-appointed postmaster general is scheduled to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Friday.
