Hurricane Sandy Impact on Mail-In Ballots On East Coast Unclear

(Newsroom America) -- As the deadline for mail-in ballots for the 2012 election approaches, many U.S. Postal Services on the East Coast are not operational after being knocked out by Hurricane Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy has seriously affected USPS operations in Northern New Jersey and USPS has suspended all plant and Post Office operations in the area.

In the Philadelphia Metro District as of Oct. 30, all three mail processing plants in Philadelphia: Philadelphia Plant, NDC, and Southeastern PA, were fully operational and accepting mail.

Operations were also hard hit in parts of New York.

USPS spokesman Dave Partenheimer urged voters in an e-mail to the Washington Post to mail completed absentee ballots at least three days before the Nov. 6 general election — or Nov. 3.

The U.S. Postal Service said it was prepared for a quick response before, during and after a hurricane and has procedures in place to expedite recovery efforts, including making sure there is timely delivery of mailed ballots.

Voters in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy as well as other customers can obtain updates on postal facility operation changes at http://about.usps.com/news/service-alerts/welcome.htm