Friend -- did you see this important announcement?
Just this week, we learned of new vote-by-mail delays from this year's primaries [6] -- problems that Trump's postmaster general is trying making even worse. That's why we're suing to save the Postal Service, and why we're urgently depending on your support.
Friend -- we’re suing postmaster general Louis DeJoy to make sure every American can rely on the Postal Service. [1]
That’s right: Common Cause has filed a lawsuit to reverse the dangerous changes that Trump’s hand-picked postmaster general has made -- changes that could threaten our right to vote safely and reliably by mail this fall.
I don’t need to tell you that this is a major fight for our democracy, Friend. We all rely on the USPS -- not just for our mail-in ballots and Census forms, but for our paychecks, our life-saving medications, and communications with our friends and family.
You’ve seen the stories all over the news: public mailboxes being removed by the truckload, sudden personnel shake-ups, drastic changes for postal workers that limit their ability to bring us our mail every day…
DeJoy, a Trump mega-donor with no prior USPS experience, is trying to undermine the agency from the inside. He’s already been forced to backpedal, saying he wouldn’t make any more changes before the election -- but won’t commit to fixing the damage he’s already done. [2]
That falls right in line with the president’s plan -- Trump openly admitted that doesn’t want the USPS funded because “they need that money in order to make the Post Office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots.” [3]
Soon afterward, the Washington Post reported that the USPS is telling states it
"cannot guarantee" all mail ballots will be delivered on time to be
counted. [4]
For Donald Trump to attempt to destroy our Postal Service -- just because he thinks it might hurt his election chances, just because he thinks doing so could give him an unfair advantage -- is one of the most shameful political acts I’ve witnessed in my life.
And unfortunately, we can't take Trump or DeJoy's word for it -- the only way these problems will get fixed is if a federal court forces them to.
You should know the facts: the best thing to do is request your absentee ballot early, then complete it and mail it in as soon as possible -- and encourage everyone you know to do the same. And remember, you have the option to safely vote or drop off your ballot in person. [5]
But equally important, we need to make sure that every voter in this country has the right to confidently and securely mail their ballot in. The Postal Service, which processes and delivers 500 million letters per day during the holiday season, knows how to handle mail-in ballots -- now, we just can’t let Trump get in its way.
That’s why Common Cause is suing -- and doing everything within our power to STOP Trump’s manufactured Postal Service crisis.
Let me be absolutely clear: allowing Donald Trump to destroy the USPS right now would be extremely dangerous.
Not only would he be directly impeding what’s needed for a safe and secure election, but he’d be accomplishing a major item on his right-wing donors’ wishlist -- sabotaging a popular, successful, and necessary public service for private profit.
The next 59 days are critical for our democracy -- and I’m so glad Common Cause members like you are ready to mobilize in response to egregious actions like this.
I’m writing to personally ask you to step up, and fund this new -- but necessary -- effort to maintain the integrity of American democracy.
Your contribution of $3 or more is urgently needed to power our work -- and apply the massive pressure required to save the United States Postal Service.
Friend, I didn’t expect six months ago that our voting rights work would require defending the USPS. It’s a reliable and high-quality public service that too many of us took for granted.
But now that the Postal Service is under threat -- we absolutely must act. That’s why we filed this lawsuit -- and why I’m so glad to know that concerned Americans like you are willing to step up and make this work possible.
Thanks for all you do,
Sylvia Albert, Director of Voting & Elections
and the team at Common Cause
[1] https://www.commoncause.org/press-release/national-civil-rights-and-good-government-organizations-sue-postmaster-general-louis-dejoy-and-other-officials-for-actions-intended-to-disrupt-2020-election-cycle/
[2] https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a33637349/louis-dejoy-postal-service-statement-election-vote-by-mail/
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/08/14/us/politics/bc-us-trump-mail-in-voting.html
[4]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/usps-states-delayed-mail-in-ballots/2020/08/14/64bf3c3c-dcc7-11ea-8051-d5f887d73381_story.html
[5] https://www.nass.org/can-i-vote/absentee-early-voting
[6] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/09/01/postal-service-audit-election-mail/
