In one of 2020's more bizarre plot twists, the US Postal Service is possibly being sabotaged for political gain. The full story is complex, confusing and almost certainly incomplete, but USA Today offers a pretty good rundown here.

Briefly, internal policy changes from the postmaster general (who has serious conflicts of interest) have resulted in unprecedented mail delivery slowdowns. People who rely on the USPS for essentials like prescription medications are affected, for example. And we have an election coming up in November, during a pandemic. In-person voting will almost certainly not be safe, so voting by mail will be important for many, if not all Americans.

The President does not like that idea (in general, Republicans benefit most from voter suppression) and has been withholding emergency funding from the USPS while spouting falsehoods about mail-in voting being subject to fraud.

Anyhow. If you'd like to advocate for the USPS, a Twitter account called Save the Post Office has a simple script you can use to call your senators and representatives in Congress. It goes like this:

Hi, I am a constituent. My zip code is xxxxx. I am calling b/c I am concerned about the Post Office. I am asking for emergency stimulus funds, a senate vote on the USPS Fairness act, and an investigation into Postmaster DeJoy & his new policies. I am concerned because this affects small businesses, seniors & veterans, and *will* have an impact on our ability to vote safely in the upcoming election. Thank you.

All the usual rules about calling your representatives apply. First of all, call your reps, not some big name across the country. You can look up your senators and your House representative here.

Feel free to email or use a contact form instead, if you're not comfortable with calling. Phone calls take up more of a staffer's time and they're good for making a human connection if you have a story to share, so they can potentially have more of an impact. But emails still count, and your ultimate goal is for the staffer to have to say to their boss "I've been hearing from constituents all day that X is really important to them." So get calling or emailing, if you have an opinion that needs to be heard.

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