The United States Postal Service (USPS) is playing a surprisingly large role in the 2020 Presidential election due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Trump has falsely claimed vote-by-mail will increase fraud, and his apparent dismantling of the USPS’s capacity to handle ballots also has many people worried. What’s going on?
Trump recently appointed a new Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, who immediately began making sweeping changes to the USPS including eliminating overtime, limiting trucks, and removing mailboxes and sorting machines.
These actions have led to widespread delays with mail delivery. But was it intentional?
For months, Trump has argued against mail-in voting, refused to pass extra USPS funding, and seemed to say this was intentionally to prevent mail-in voting.
Exactly what’s going on, though, isn’t clear – and after a grilling by Congress, DeJoy has said he will reverse the changes made. But will this resolve the issue?
A recent survey indicated that Democrats are much more likely to vote by mail than Republicans, which makes it seem that this was a political move. It also could have major effects on Black voters.
Because of a long history of voter disenfranchisement, Black voters tend not to trust vote-by-mail. However, Black Americans are more at risk of COVID-19 and face continued voter suppression efforts – meaning we may have no safe, convenient way to vote this November.
We have to exercise our rights – but if you’re worried about your vote, the U.S. Vote Foundation has resources and information for safely returning your ballot this election!