Poll: Americans Want USPS Run Like Public Service

Most Americans said they would like the U.S. Postal Service to be run more like a public service rather than a business.

A recent Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found:

• Americans by a more than 2-to-1 margin said the USPS, which has come under fire by President Donald Trump and some Republicans for how it plans to distribute and process mail-in ballots for the November election, is better off being run as a public service.
• 82% of Democrats and 69% of independents said the USPS should be run like a public service.
• 49% of Republicans said the USPS should be run like a public service, with 51% saying it should be managed more like a business, "even if that limits the services it provides."

Trump has criticized the Postal Service and the practice of voting by mail because he says it will lead to voter fraud. He has even predicted that the election may have to be conducted again if universal mail-in voting is adopted.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has come under fire for allegations of campaign finance violations and claims that the Postal Service made operational changes this year that could have a negative impact on election-related mail. DeJoy has since been ordered to put the changes on hold until after the election.

The poll was conducted from Aug. 24-31 among 1,929 Americans. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

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