Beginning earlier this year, Trump has had major criticisms of one of America’s longest standing industries. Judgement of the standard Mail rates and concerns about the integrity of the vote-by-mail systems have been major focal points in the final months before the election. Tweeting his concerns, the President is cited as claiming that voting by mail will “lead to the end of the Republican party,” and become the “scandal of our times.”

When COVID concerns initially struck in March, the Postal Service saw mail orders drop roughly 20%, throwing even more instability to the organization which has struggled with financial hardships for years. All calls for aid have been blocked by the Trump organization, bringing into question the ability of the Postal Service to handle the upcoming election. Late June, a new postmaster was recognized, and several new cost cutting measures were rolled out in an effort to “improve operational efficiency” and “ensure that we meet our service standards.” Within these new measures includes bans on late night or extra unscheduled trips, as well as employee overtime. This measure is expected to save the organization roughly $200 million, however it has led to significant delays in packages all across the country. 

Select residents in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Michigan have reported going over a week without any mail being delivered, and several protestors have lined up outside of post offices demanding answers. The new Postmaster has said that delays are to be expected when new measures have been rolled out, and cites the concerns as “temporary.” With COVID concerns still likely to be prevalent in the US come November, many are worried about the risk of disenfranchisement for many voters unable to leave their homes this fall. In a recent statement the Postal Service recommended that voters apply for mail ballots at least 15 days before the election, and put their ballots in at least a week beforehand should they want to guarantee their votes be counted in the general election. 

Please ensure that if you are planning to vote this fall that you previously research your voting method and plan accordingly. Expect delays and don’t procrastinate!

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/expect-mail-delays-as-trumps-new-postal-service-chief-pushes-cost-cutting-2020-07-15

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/31/us/politics/trump-usps-mail-delays.html

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-postal-system-established

http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2020/images/07/31/usps0731.pdf

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/31/politics/usps-mail-in-voting-2020-election/index.html