Wyden Fights to Protect Vote-by-Mail & Keep Rural Post Offices Open Through Election Day

April 18, 2012: Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) took to the Senate floor to explain his amendment to the postal service bill being debate. The planned closures and consolidations of rural postal facilities throughout the country poses a particularly serious risk to states like Oregon that rely on vote-by-mail for their federal and state elections. With the presidential election approaching and the United States Post Office moving forward with plans to close many rural facilities in states like Oregon and California, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) have introduced an amendment to put a moratorium on the closing or consolidation of postal facilities until after the election. The amendment is cosponsored by Senators Baucus, Bennet, Sherrod Brown, Boxer and Mark Udall.