USPS Removes Mailboxes in Democratic Areas, Reverses After Public Outcry

The United States Postal Service confirmed that it removed dozens of public mailboxes from streets in Democratic-leaning areas across multiple states, including Oregon, Montana, Pennsylvania, and New York. In Portland, four blue collection boxes were removed from city streets, while 27 additional boxes were removed from Eugene, Oregon. Photos of USPS workers loading the signature blue mailboxes onto trucks went viral, triggering widespread public alarm about election interference.

USPS Claims “Routine” Removals

USPS spokesperson Ernie Swanson initially defended the removals as “routine,” claiming they resulted from declining mail volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic and that boxes were only being removed from locations with multiple collection points. However, the timing—just months before a presidential election expected to rely heavily on mail-in voting—and the targeting of Democratic areas raised immediate red flags. Senator Jon Tester’s staffers in Bozeman, Montana noted a mailbox outside their office was removed on Thursday morning, with constituents reporting additional removals statewide within hours.

Rapid Reversal After Public Outcry

Facing intense public backlash and accusations of deliberate election sabotage, USPS spokesman Rod Spurgeon announced on Friday, August 14 that the Postal Service would halt all mailbox removals until after the election. “We are not going to be removing any boxes. After the election, we’re going to take a look at operations and see what we need and don’t need,” Spurgeon stated. The abrupt reversal contradicted DeJoy’s earlier claims that the removals were standard operational adjustments unrelated to the election.

Significance

The mailbox removals represented visible, physical evidence of USPS sabotage under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s leadership. Unlike internal operational changes that could be explained away as efficiency measures, photographs of workers removing blue mailboxes from Democratic neighborhoods provided undeniable proof of systematic efforts to suppress mail voting. The rapid reversal after public outcry demonstrated that the removals were discretionary political decisions, not operational necessities. Combined with the simultaneous removal of mail sorting machines and elimination of overtime, the mailbox removals formed part of a coordinated campaign to degrade postal service capabilities ahead of an election where mail voting would be crucial. The episode galvanized public attention to USPS sabotage and led to congressional hearings where DeJoy was forced to defend his actions under oath.