Colorado Attorney General Asks For Injunction Against The U.S. Postal Service

DENVER (CBS4)- Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is asking for an injunction to block changes at the U.S. Postal Service. He joined other attorneys general last month in a lawsuit that claimed the changes were illegal and unconstitutional.

The Postmaster General says changes at the agency are needed to ensure its long term sustainability, but he says they won't happen until after the election. He's set up a task force on election mail and says the postal service is ready to handle whatever volume of ballots it receives.

Despite the postmaster's assurance, Weiser and 13 other attorneys general are asking for an injunction, saying some changes are already underway.

Weiser says he's received complaints from more than 200 Coloradans about delays of time sensitive mail like medications.

He's worried the delivery of ballots - which go out next month - will also be delayed. Weiser says the postal service is interfering with the state's constitutional obligation to manage elections.

"The goal of this lawsuit is enforceable oversight to make sure that all the changes that have happened under DeJoy's leadership, get undone and stay undone. We cannot be playing games with our mail system. We depend on the postal service," said Weiser.

Among those who have contacted Weiser is Wade Stembridge. He owns Choco-Gusto, an online hand-painted gourmet chocolate company.

He says 80% of his orders are shipped outside Colorado. Since the middle of May, he says, shipments that once took 1-3 days are taking 3-6 days.

"I'm getting melted packages and then I have t then reship those packages, now paying $60-$40 to get them sent overnight for a package that somebody only paid $27. So, not a great business plan when you're spending more on chocolate than you're actually making," said Stembridge.