'Hi This Is Cher': Singer Inquires About Post Office Volunteering To Ease Mail Backlog, Gets Rejected

MALIBU (CBSLA) - Cherilyn Sarkisian says she just wants to help.

The singer better known as Cher tweeted Wednesday about her efforts to assist her local postal workers with mail sorting as cost-cutting measures take hold at the U.S. Postal Service.

Cher said she called up two local post office branches in Malibu and asked about volunteering.

She says she was later told by a supervisor that they do not accept volunteers and that fingerprints and a background check are required.

According to the U.S. Postal Service website, all employees involving in handling mail must undergo drug screening and a background check.

The postal service has stoked political bickering over the security and feasibility of mail-in ballots for the upcoming presidential election in November.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said he would "suspend" several of his initiatives — including the removal of the distinctive blue mailboxes that prompted an outcry — until after the election "to avoid even the appearance of impact on election mail.
"We will deliver the nation's election mail on time," DeJoy said in a statement.

The abrupt reversal from DeJoy, who is set to testify Friday before the Senate, comes as more than 20 states, from New York to California, announced they would be suing to stop the changes. Several vowed they would press on, keeping a watchful eye on the Postal Service ahead of the election.

(Copyright 2020 CBS Corp. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)