Dear MoveOn member,

You're not imagining things: The mail really is getting slower—but it's
not because of the coronavirus pandemic; it's because of Republican
interference.

Donald Trump has been raging against the post office for months, and now
that the pandemic has made it clear that voting by mail will be essential
to ensuring access to the ballot in the fall, Trump has ratcheted up his
attacks in an effort to both destroy the post office and steal the
election in one fell swoop.

Last month, Trump's handpicked postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, a
Republican megadonor who gave Trump's campaign $1.5 million, instituted
what he claimed were changes to "improve operational efficiency"—like
cancelling overtime and instructing mail carriers to leave mail at
distribution centers overnight—but what watchdog groups are calling
deliberate efforts to slow down the mail and bankrupt the post office in
advance of November's elections.^1

Slowing down the mail is not just an inconvenience. For many, it could
mean a delay in lifesaving medications, unemployment checks, and more—and
the people hit the hardest are those in rural communities and older
Americans who tend to rely more heavily on the Postal Service.

In April, when Trump first threatened to withhold coronavirus relief
funding if the bill included funding for the post office, MoveOn's
Creative Lab—thanks to help from members like you, John—created
a powerful TV ad aimed at seniors to get the message out about Trump's
attacks on the post office. We ran that ad in the critical battleground
state of Maine, and it was a HUGE success! But with Trump's attacks now
intensifying, we want to expand this ad to air on television in other
swing states with high concentrations of voters over 65: Pennsylvania,
Arizona, and Florida.



We need to keep this ad on the air for as long as we can, but to do that
we need a dedicated and consistent stream of funding from MoveOn members
like you. Can you chip in $3 a week to get our ad on the air in swing
states and keep it up for as long as it takes? (MoveOn will bill your
weekly donation to your credit card once a month starting today and will
contact you shortly after the election to see if you want to modify or
cancel your weekly donation.) 

[ [link removed] ]Count me in.

[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.



This new wave of attacks on the post office is most concerning because of
the absolutely devastating impacts on voting in November.

As primaries continued during the pandemic, it became crystal clear that
voting by mail would be the best way to ensure access to a ballot for most
voters while keeping communities safe from the virus. But this massive
spike in mail-in voting has already stressed the infrastructure in states
across the country—and any added delays due to Republican attacks on the
post office could cause the whole system to collapse.

In 34 states, your vote is invalidated if it is not received by Election
Day, and in others, votes can be thrown out for easy-to-make errors that
will be exacerbated by a cash-strapped post office.^2

That could mean millions of votes—especially Democratic votes—going
uncounted or challenged by right-wing operatives in one of the most
consequential elections in American history.

One of the key constituencies that Trump needs to carry if he wants to win
re-election are voters over 65—the same voters who are at the highest risk
for serious complications from the coronavirus and who are most reliant on
the Postal Service.

That's why our ad is specifically targeting seniors in the swing states
most important to Trump and vulnerable Republicans in the Senate.



Will you help get our message to even more of these voters in
Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Florida by chipping in $3 a week? Your donation
will help keep our ad on the air and fuel our efforts to defeat Trump and
the GOP on November 3. (MoveOn will bill your weekly donation to your
credit card once a month starting today and will contact you shortly after
the election to see if you want to modify or cancel your weekly
donation.) 

[ [link removed] ]Count me in.

[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.



Neither voting by mail nor protecting the post office should be partisan
issues. But Donald Trump and his cronies are willing to do anything, no
matter how sinister, to maintain their grip on power.

We can't—and we won't—let them get away with it.



Join us in the fight by chipping in $3 a week. (MoveOn will bill your
weekly donation to your credit card once a month starting today and will
contact you shortly after the election to see if you want to modify or
cancel your weekly donation.) 

[ [link removed] ]Count me in.

[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.



Thanks for all you do.

–Jenn, Elsie, Sky, Isbah, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Mail Delays Fuel Concern Trump Is Undercutting Postal System Ahead of
Voting," The New York Times, July 31, 2020
[link removed]

2. Ibid.




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