One Million Ballots

Why what’s happening with the USPS affects students who vote absentee

By Ellie Roth

Personally, I’ve never paid much attention to who’s on the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service. I couldn’t tell you the names of any past Postmaster Generals—can you blame me? But earlier this summer, when the news broke about President Trump’s selection for the new Postmaster General, it caught my eye. How could something as seemingly non-partisan as this be making headlines? After reading through articles, I realized why, and this headline turned from being seemingly insignificant to being news that could directly impact my life. Why? Because I vote absentee, and there’s a pretty good chance that if you’re a college student, you do too. For anyone that is from out of state, voting absentee is the only option you have to cast your ballot. Unfortunately with the selection of the new Postmaster General, voting absentee may mean that your vote will not count in this election.

Voting by mail is tried, tested, and trustworthy. But throughout his presidency, Trump has criticized voting by mail, claiming that it’s fraudulent. It seems that Trump is actually against more people voting and any attempt to increase access to the polls. That’s what many people fear with his selection of Louis DeJoy as the new Postmaster General, believing that this longtime friend and Republican supporter could be another way that Trump may attempt to suppress voting. DeJoy has donated more than $1.2 million to the Trump Victory Fund and millions more to the Republican Party. He was selected to be the local finance chairman for the 2020 Republican National Convention. What else? He has no government experience in this type of role.

Since DeJoy’s inauguration this summer, he has attempted to initiate changes that will delay mail and potentially impact the outcome of the 2020 election. The delivery of mail began to slow in July, the drop in performance more abrupt that at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. In June, union officials received notice that Postal Service management was removing 671 machines that sort mail quickly from their facilities. In July, employees were sent a memo banning additional daily trips beyond their initial runs in an effort to cut costs. Postal workers were ordered to change the longstanding practice of holding trucks at sorting facilities until all of the morning’s mail was on board. Now, they are told to leave on time even if all the mail has not been loaded. Initially, DeJoy’s administration stated that election-related mail will not be treated as first class or priority mail. Despite this order being reversed by a federal judge in New York, who ordered the USPS to reverse changes made by the administration, many worry that some of the changes that have already been enacted by DeJoy will be irreversible before the election. As of now, only a handful of states satisfy USPS recommendations for deadlines to request a ballot, and there’s a growing concern that the number of ballots rejected could surpass one million in November if rejection rates remain the same or increase further.

One million ballots.

If you haven’t read any of this article yet, reread that last sentence. One million ballots means one million people whose votes may not be counted due in part to the new changes at the postal agency. One million people whose basic, fundamental rights as a US citizen may be dismissed. One million votes that could potentially remove our current president from office. One million ballots that will determine the fate of our country. They will be wasted.

Because a majority of us already vote absentee, and because many more of us will choose to vote absentee because of the pandemic, this news affects so many of us directly. How we vote shouldn’t determine whether we vote. When we cast our ballot, whether in person or via the mail, we shouldn’t have to worry as to whether or not it will be counted. The people we elect and the systems of democracy that those people are supposed to fight to preserve should prevent this from happening. They shouldn’t be the perpetrators of it.

The election of a new Postmaster General shouldn’t be something partisan or corrupt. It shouldn’t be something that sparks debate or controversy or incites fear into Americans. It shouldn’t be something that everyday people really need to pay attention to, because the election of a new leader for the USPS should not mean that a historically non-partisan agency may wield its power to corrupt our democracy.