Congresswoman Bustos tours Peoria USPS facility, says she’s been assured by leaders about the vote by mail system

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Rep. Cheri Bustos (IL-17) said the United States Postal Service is equipped to handle the upcoming election.

On Tuesday, Congresswoman Bustos toured the USPS sorting and distribution facility in Peoria. USPS leaders said that parcels are up 55% during the pandemic started, but the rate of letters is down, according to Bustos.

“They assured me that those will be prioritized, and that nobody should have any fear about voting by mail. That made me feel good,” said Rep. Bustos.

Also, the volume of the vote by mail ballots will not be close to the amount the postal service handles during the holiday season. Rep. Bustos said the vote by mail system is a well used and safe system.

“I think it’s a way to tamp down people voting by mail in the middle of a pandemic and I think we should be doing everything we can to remove barriers from people voting in an extremely consequential election instead of making people afraid to do it,” Rep. Bustos said.

Rep. Bustos said she will be voting early in person, but encourages people who are voting by mail to send in their ballots as early as possible.