Call to Action: Save the US Postal Service and its Role in the US Democratic Process

The Crisis

The extended and increasing delays in mail delivery in the United States, as a result of changes to procedures and removal and dismantling of equipment ordered by the newly appointed Postmaster General of the US Postal Service, have received wide international coverage (1). These delays imperil not only businesses and the American people, who depend on USPS for delivery of goods, prescriptions, checks and bills, but also the democratic process as the USPS is vital for the timely delivery of mail-in ballots, on which overseas voters particularly depend (2).

FAWCO joins in the call to action raised by our partner, the US Vote Foundation. Contact your Representative and Senators to demand restorative action today – see below for the steps to take. Click through to read the press release in full, or see excerpts given after the action list.

What to Do: Demand Action from Congress and Spread the Word

Telephone your Representative and Senators because that has the most impact – more than email and much more than signing a petition. The louder the objections to the harm to USPS and the call for repair are, the more likely legislators are to listen. Call your representatives, no matter what you think their response will be, because they need to know where you, a voter and thus their employer, stand.

1. If you know their names already, look up their numbers. If you don’t, find them at Find Your Representative on the House website and Senators of the 116th Congress on the Senate website.
2. Prepare your message in advance. You can use the 3 action points in the press release: (a) stop the dismantling of the USPS’s efficient functioning; (b) authorize the funding needed and direct postal authorities to repair the damage done; and (c) ensure the timely transmission of ballots for the upcoming election. In addition, call for the Senate to pass both the USPS Fairness Act (H.R. 2382) to support continued proper functioning of the USPS, and the Delivering for America Act, (H.R. 8015) which blocks any changes to the USPS until after the elections.
3. Whether a live staffer answers your call or you are diverted to voicemail, identify yourself as a constituent and give your message clearly and courteously.
4. Call both the DC and local offices of your representatives. Because of COVID, offices in Washington, DC are understaffed at present. You are more likely to get a staff person on the line if you phone the local office.
5. Once you have contacted your representatives, consider amplifying this message through email and social media: Twitter, Facebook and websites.

Excerpts from US Vote Press Release

The United States Postal Service is essential tax-payer funded infrastructure and must be protected. Congress must act now!

WASHINGTON, D.C. August 18, 2020 - U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) and our Overseas Vote initiative decry the deliberate crippling of the United States Postal Service (USPS) by the Postmaster General and the stated intention of the executive branch to irrevocably dismantle its efficiency in order to thwart the movement of ballots in the November 2020 General Election.

We call for Congress to recognize this situation as a Constitutional emergency and take immediate action to stop the devastation of the USPS before it is too late. Extra funding and a clear directive should be established to support the USPS to excel in mail delivery for the upcoming election and beyond.

Ensuring that ballots can safely and swiftly move through the postal system is an essential component of our voting process and the democracy that it supports. This is particularly true for voters who are not residing in their communities at the time of an election. This includes military and overseas voters … 

As a non-partisan organization, US Vote firmly concurs with the large body of evidence that proves there is no inherent partisan advantage to voting by mail versus voting in person. US Vote also concurs with a similarly broad consensus that voting by mail in no way increases the risk of fraud. Finally, US Vote emphasizes the fact that not only is the USPS an essential part of our strategic voting infrastructure, it is also the underpinning of a significant portion of the United States economy. The USPS is a major employer of the veterans of our Armed Forces, a group of voters whom US Vote has been assisting in their efforts to vote by mail for over 16 years.

We implore the public to respond to this call to action. Contact your legislators to voice your demand that they convene immediately to: 1) stop the dismantling of the USPS’s efficient functionality; 2) authorize the requisite funding and direction to repair any damage done; 3) and, effectively execute the timely transmission of ballots for the upcoming election. Call for the Senate to pass the USPS Fairness Act (H.R. 2382) to support continued proper function of the USPS.

Sources

1. Riccardi, N. Q&A: What's happening at the US Postal Service, and why? Associated Press. 17 August 2020.
2. Holmes, A. The USPS is shutting down mail-sorting machines crucial for processing absentee ballots as the 2020 election looms. Business Insider, August 13, 2020.