Ben Franklin is Rolling Over in his Grave!

“Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Sadly, the Postal Carrier’s Motto does not reckon with President Trump, the Republican Senate and his crony, the newly appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Together they are doing their very best to sabotage the Postal Service, deny voters their right to mail-in balloting during the COVID pandemic, and sow seeds of doubt over the legitimacy of the November election. Speaker Pelosi has called the House back into session to address this crisis. It is essential to put pressure on Republican Senators to preserve the United States Postal Service (USPS) and protect its fundamental role in daily life and democracy.

The Postal Service was a central element in the success of the early American republic and it remains a vital public service for 100s of millions of Americans. Each day postal carriers deliver life-saving medications to individuals who can’t get to a pharmacy. They deliver Social Security checks to millions of senior citizens who cannot use direct deposit. And they do so at an affordable price. A 1 oz letter crosses the country for 55 cents, less than 1/15 of what the cheapest private delivery company charges for a similar service. Today, in the middle of the COVID-9 pandemic, we need the USPS to deliver and return ballots to enable every voter to participate in this year’s pivotal election!

All 50 states have provisions for mail-in voting for those who can’t get to the polls on Election Day. For years, 6 states have conducted their elections primarily by mail ballot. Rules for who is eligible for mail ballots, and how they can receive and vote those ballots are different for each state. Importantly, over the years there has been less fraud and delay in mail ballots than in the traditional in-person voting. 

President Trump has been conducting an unrelenting and hypocritical campaign of lies and deception to discredit the use of mail ballots in the 2020 election. On the same day that he requested his own absentee ballot, his campaign filed suit against plans to expand the use of mail ballots in Nevada. Republicans in Texas have restricted the use of mail ballots for voters under age 65, but preserved access for those over 65 because seniors, as a group, lean strongly Republican.

Most importantly, Trump recently appointed a major campaign donor, Louis DeJoy, to be Postmaster General. DeJoy holds at least $30 million in stock in a USPS subcontractor, a company that he now oversees and more than $10 million in options in Amazon, a USPS customer and competitor. If Republican Senators succeed in their long-standing efforts to privatize the USPS, DeJoy stands to make millions of dollars.

Postmaster General DeJoy immediately began slashing services necessary for the timely delivery and return of absentee/mail in ballots. In recent weeks, local “blue box” mailboxes have been removed from many communities. Sorting machines are being taken out of service to “save money” and letter carriers are being forbidden to finish their routes if they have completed their 8-hour shift. With up to three quarters of the American population planning to use mail ballots this November, DeJoy’s USPS recently declared that 47 states should expect delays in the receipt and delivery of mail ballots. These are delays that will invalidate 10’s of millions of votes.

The HEROES Act, passed by the Democratic House in May includes $25 billion for the Postal Service and an additional $3.6 billion to support mail-in ballot efforts. Speaker Pelosi has called the House back in session to address the crisis in the USPS with new legislation to guarantee a successful mail election. Both pieces of legislation are opposed by the President, his negotiators and most Republican Senators. Experts believe that the Postal Service had to capacity to deliver all mail-in ballots prior to the deliberate reductions in service implemented by Postmaster DeJoy.

Take action now to secure the future of the USPS and the integrity of the 2020 election!

Call To Action

  1. Call REPUBLICAN members of the Senate and insist on their obligation to support adequate funding for the Postal Service in general and for the timely delivery of all ballots for the November election. 

  2. Call your Governor and the chief elections official of your state (usually the Secretary of State) and demand that they do all within their powers to insure that absentee/mail-in balloting will take place honestly. Demand that all who request ballots receive them and that mailing deadlines and verification regulations are adjusted so that all ballots will be counted.

  3. Call on all your elected representatives to demand the resignation of Postmaster Louis DeJoy on grounds of his partisan sabotage of the USPS and conflict of interest.