Democracy Docket: Service cuts initiated under President Donald Trump’s first postmaster general could delay mail throughout most of the nation, putting millions of mail-in voters at risk of blowing ballot deadlines in future elections.

An internal watchdog at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has criticized the agency for not doing nearly enough to ensure the public is aware of the issue — which is likely to be especially severe in rural areas. And election administrators in two states with key contests already underway have taken steps to warn voters about the potential ramifications.

An ongoing multi-pronged GOP campaign, led by Trump, to restrict mail voting — especially ballots that arrive after Election Day — could ultimately deepen the delays’ impact.

A new USPS policy known as Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) will eliminate evening mail pickups from post offices more than 50 miles away from a regional processing facility. The changes, already in effect for roughly 16% of the U.S. population, will mean mail will be postmarked and delivered at least one day later than before.

RTO was implemented as part of the Delivering for America (DFA) initiative, a series of controversial reforms aimed at increasing efficiency and reducing costs launched in 2021 by Louis DeJoy, a major Republican and Trump donor then serving as postmaster general.

The delivery delay means that if mail voters wait until the last day or two before the election to mail their ballot, as they often have done before, they could be disenfranchised.

“This is catching everybody off guard,” said Vicky Dalton, county auditor for Spokane, Washington.

Read more: Pick-Up Cuts by Trump’s USPS Could Disenfranchise Mail Voters  – Democracy Docket