With more Americans voting by mail this year, the Postal Service will be more important than ever for the election. It’s also facing a funding crisis driven by a requirement that it fund its employees’ future retirement and health benefits in advance, something no other federal agency has to do. After Louis DeJoy took over as postmaster general in June, he instituted measures such as eliminating overtime hours, instructing postal workers to leave mail behind if it leads to delays, and instituting a hiring freeze. After intense criticism, DeJoy said that he will suspend some of the changes underway until after the election — like removing mailboxes and mail sorting machines — but uncertainties remain. This is not the time to slash services at the USPS.

The Trump administration wants to cut crucial 2020 Census operations short, but the Covid-19 pandemic means that more time is needed for an accurate count, not less. Not only do the unexplained changes violate the Constitution and federal law, they also pose a grave threat to ensuring that people of color are counted in the census and receive their fair share of political representation and funding for essential services. The stakes are high, and we and other civil rights organizations are asking the court to prevent the administration from implementing its rushed plan so the Census Bureau gets the time it needs to complete a fair and accurate count.

This week, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed that the right to vote could not be denied “on the account of sex.” But like so many parts of our Constitution, the 19th Amendment initially failed to live up to its promise. Even though the amendment was ratified in 1920, it took decades of further work and legislation for Black, Native American, and Asian-American women to gain access to the ballot. Women of color were similarly excluded from the suffrage movement — and much of what is widely known about the movement has been fictionalized. We can celebrate the 19th Amendment by lifting up those who fought for an inclusive and expansive democracy, such as Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Zitkála-Šá, and Mabel Ping-Hua Lee.

Not even Congress has access to the Presidential Emergency Action Documents, a secret set of presidential orders drafted to anticipate future crises. In the past, these documents have appeared to do things that would be considered unconstitutional, such as martial law and the detention of people not suspected of any crime. Elizabeth Goitein was on CBS Sunday Morning to discuss the documents, which are currently undergoing a periodic revision by the Department of Justice. She told Ted Koppel, “We have to imagine what the Trump administration might be doing with these documents and what authorities this administration might be trying to give itself.”

While voting by mail is a good option for many voters, it’s crucial that polling places across the country are safe for those who opt to vote in person. The Brennan Center partnered with the Infectious Disease Society of America to create guidelines for healthy in-person voting. The guidelines include ensuring that there are adequate numbers of in-person voting locations in every community and that polling locations are well ventilated and can accommodate social distancing. With careful and proactive planning, no voter will have to choose between their safety and their fundamental right to vote.

Rep. John Lewis’s fight for the right to vote was heroic, and it can’t be overstated how important his and other activists’ efforts were leading up to the passage of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called Lewis a hero in a memorial tribute, and McConnell has a history of supporting voting rights: he voted in favor of reauthorizing the VRA in 2006, and as majority whip, he was responsible for getting all of his fellow Republicans to vote in favor of it. Now, he is refusing to bring up a bill already passed by the House that would restore the VRA to its full strength after being weakened by the Supreme Court. That bill was recently renamed for Lewis. If McConnell wants to honor Lewis and the voting rights he fought for, he should bring this bill up for a vote and get it passed.

Historian Anne Applebaum on the ‘Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism’
Monday, August 24 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. EDT | This is a virtual event.
Democratic institutions have begun to deteriorate in the United States and around the globe, while authoritarian movements continue to gain traction. In her new book, Twilight of Democracy, Anne Applebaum focuses on the cultural and media elite who enable autocracy. RSVP Today.

What We’re Reading
Brennan Center Fellow Michael German recommends “How Northern California’s Police Intelligence Center Tracked Protests.” The article takes a deep dive into leaked documents from Northern California’s police intelligence agency, providing an unprecedented window into its internal workings and priorities during the recent waves of anti-police brutality protests.