By James Oliphant
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Colorado on Saturday sued the U.S. Postal Service and its postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, seeking to prevent the mailing of official notices to all Colorado residents that the state says contain false and misleading statements about voting in the November election.
The USPS notices, which encourage residents who plan to vote by mail to request ballots early and send them in advance of the Nov. 3 election, runs counter to how mail-in voting is conducted in Colorado and could confuse and disenfranchise voters, the state argues in a lawsuit filed in federal court.
The state is asking the court to issue an order to block the mailers. Colorado is already part of a multi-state federal lawsuit filed last month that challenges organizational changes made by DeJoy and the Postal Service that the states say may hamper mail-in voting.
In response to the suit, the Postal Service said the mailer is a national one that has already been sent to a majority of U.S. residents and is not intended to be a guide to local election laws governing mail-in voting.
"The main message of the mail-piece is that voters should plan ahead, educate themselves about voting options available in their jurisdiction, and, if they choose to vote by mail, to give themselves enough time to receive, complete and return their ballot," said David Partenheimer, a USPS spokesman.
DeJoy, a supporter of President Donald Trump and a former Republican Party fundraiser, has come under fire from Democrats for instituting cost-cutting reforms at the post office that have slowed the processing of mail.