We have every confidence the U.S. Postal Service will deliver come Election Day.
And as voters, we can help ensure the process will run smoothly by voting early so our absentee ballots don’t overwhelm the system on Nov. 3.
The COVID-19 pandemic is only one factor complicating the outcome of the 2020 Election. Voters are wise to want to avoid crowded polling places where they likely will incur untimely delays because of extra safety precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.
More worrisome than the pandemic are President Donald Trump’s efforts to not only sew suspicion among Americans that the postal service can’t do its job but also his actions to undermine its success.
Just last week, President Trump admitted to opposing $25 billion in emergency aid for the USPS because he wants to stymie the system by making it harder for people to vote by mail.
In his words, he’s doing Americans a favor because the system is “rigged,” though he could offer no such evidence.
That’s because none exists.
Instances of electoral fraud are “extremely rare,” according to election security officials.
In the past 20 years only 143 of 250,000,000 mail-in votes have been discovered to be fraudulent.
In the 2016 presidential election, almost one-fourth of votes were cast by mail. Of those 33 million, none could be determined as ill-gotten, despite the president’s claim that millions voted illegally. Kris Kobach, former Kansas secretary of state, led the commission in charge of the investigation. The commission later disbanded, for want of a purpose.
The funds that Trump claims he will withhold would help post offices prepare for a higher-than-normal influx of mail-in ballots, protect in-person voting and buy personal protective equipment for poll workers as well reimburse the USPS for funds thus far spent responding to the pandemic.
Adding to the worry is that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy — a personal friend and megadonor to Mr. Trump’s campaign — has issued cost-cutting measures that jeopardize the service’s ability to cope with a substantial increase of mail, including the elimination of overtime and machinery that can process mail at high volumes.
On Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on members to address the current threats to the postal service. We’re thankful someone recognizes the gravity. To purposefully destabilize the U.S. Postal Service less than three months before a general election is an attack on democracy.
MR. TRUMP denies he is trying to suppress voter engagement.
“I want them to vote,” he said Thursday. But “they gotta go to a voting booth.”
