The U.S. Postal Service says it has not closed any mail-processing facilities in the Phoenix area, contradicting Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap’s warning that a closure could slow election mail. “ The Postal Service has not closed any Phoenix-area processing facilities and has more than enough capacity to successfully process local Election Mail volume,” USPS spokesperson Sherry Patterson said in a statement. Heap told the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 30 that the post office had shut down its central Phoenix facility about a year earlier, forcing mail to be routed through San Diego and adding “a few days” to delivery. No supervisor challenged the claim during that meeting. On Oct. 5, Supervisor Thomas Galvin shared video of Heap’s remarks on social media and said the board “needs to inquire now.” The dispute comes as Maricopa County prepares to send about 1.9 million early ballots to voters on Wednesday, Oct. 7. USPS said it expects to handle the county’s election mail successfully and plans to use procedures from previous federal elections to expedite completed ballots to election offices as Election Day approaches. Heap and the Postal Service both urged voters to return ballots by mail no later than Oct. 27. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3, to be counted. With millions of ballots moving through the mail, clear and accurate guidance from election officials and the Postal Service is important for voters deciding how and when to return their ballots. The Postal Service’s statement directly disputes the facility-closure explanation Heap gave to the supervisors, while Galvin has called for the county to examine the discrepancy.