2020 VS. THE FALL OF USPS

You might have recognized the word “mail in-ballot” and USPS in recent headlines or social media posts. What you might not know of, is the effect it has on all lives and the 2020 election. There’s no doubt about it, the election in November is going to be unlike most. However, the recent scandal is an obstacle for people who want to exercise their ability to vote. Come on America! 2020 cannot endure the extensive loss of the United States Postal Service!

The USPS is an independent agency that has been running a deficit for many years on end. President Trump recently hired Louis DeJoy, a top Republican donor, as the new postmaster general. He made out sizable donations to President Trump's election campaign and was the former head fundraiser for the Republican National Convention. DeJoy started making changes, none of which had a favorable impact on those other than the corrupt politicians involved in the agreement. These changes include cutting back on overtime for mail carriers and the ordered removal of high-speed mail sorting machines. Many mailboxes were locked and removed in justification of the claim, “they were no longer of use.”

Why does this all matter? Well, people depend on mail every day! Some needs include paychecks, utility bills, and prescription medication. These cuts led to a slower delivery and terribly impacted small businesses that rely on the post office. Now onto the 2020 Election. It’s simple. With Covid-19 cases on the uproar in certain parts of the nation, many people are preferring mail-in ballots over the standard in-person voting method. However, USPS sent out a letter disclaiming a delay in vote by mail ballots to be sent out due to the cuts made. USPS also warned of the delay in the ballot being set back in time for the vote to even count. This is catastrophic for the Election. People are putting their health in jeopardy by voting in person, and their vote in jeopardy by voting via mail.

According to eyewitness news, a USPS spokeswoman said, “‘the slowdown in mail deliveries is due to the Covid-19 pandemic and that more people have been placing online orders for essential goods leading to heavy parcel volumes…” But what about the defunding of the agency, put in order? Postmaster General DeJoy claimed the cuts were made “to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail until after the election is concluded.” This fallacy was ripped apart in the Postmaster’s testimony at House hearing. Rep. Ayanna Pressley ended her time to speak by saying “The only thing you should be delivering is your resignation”

What can we do now?

What we can do is support our local branch of USPS. This can be done by buying stamps or perhaps developing a pen pal to mail letters to! Whatever it is to keep the branch active and the employees well served.