USPS made mail slower to cut costs. Midterm ballots will test the system.

The U.S. Postal Service has slowed down mail deliveries so much it's failing to meet even its lowered performance targets, a new report from the Government Accountability Office found.Why it matters: The Postal Service is part of the connective tissue of American life: delivering prescription drugs and ballots, carrying government notices and bills, helping businesses reach customers across the country.Now its attempts to shore up its finances are disproportionately affecting rural communities.The big picture: The Postal Service has given itself more time to deliver some first-class mail, the