NC Attorney General joins suit against postmaster over policies, seeks to reverse recent changes

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein is party to a lawsuit against Postmaster General Louis DeJoy over recent policies that the plaintiffs claim will prevent their constituents from voting by mail.

The lawsuit seeks to overturn budget cuts and operational changes and "ensure that North Carolinians who vote by mail have their vote counted," a release from Stein's office said.

On Friday morning, DeJoy testified before a Senate Committee on recent operational changes and his plan to hold off on any more moved before the 2020 election. A press release from Stein's office said that DeJoy's statements before the Senate were "not enough."

DeJoy said Friday he had “no idea” blue mailboxes and sorting machines were being removed until the public uproar nationwide.

“I was made aware when everyone else was made aware,” DeJoy testified.

The attorney general's office is challenging procedures which have caused mail delays and pile ups, including limited the use of overtime by postal service employees.

The U.S. Postal Service warned officials in North Carolina last week that late deadlines for absentee voting mean voters who wait may find their ballots delayed in the mail and ultimately uncounted.

A top postal official reached out to the state at the end of last month, saying "it is particularly important that voters be made aware of the transit times."

He recommended that ballot request forms – the first step to getting an actual ballot, which also has to be returned – come in at least 15 days before the Nov. 3 election, "and preferably long before that time.”

From requesting a ballot to submitting it, a step-by-step guide to absentee voting in NC

The lawsuit says that the current operations at the postal service violate the Postal Reorganization Act, the elections clause and the electors clause of the constitution and the 26th Amendment ot the constitution that guarantees the right to vote.

DeJoy "acted outside of his authority to implement changes to the postal system, and did not follow the proper procedures under federal law," according to a statement from Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

The lawsuit that Stein is a part of was filed in conjunction with attorney generals in California, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Delaware, Maine and North Carolina.

Another lawsuit was filed against the Postmaster General led by Washington state and joined by Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin.