The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Feb. 24, 2025
Today’s Script
(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)
Over 88 million American voters voted early in the 2024 presidential election. An estimated 42 million voted by mail. What could a Trump takeover of the U.S. Postal Service mean for mail-in and absentee voters?
Trump said last December that he wanted to return to QUOTE, “One day voting,” and continued his false claims of mail-in voting as fraudulent.
In 1970, Congress attempted to separate USPS from political influence with the Postal Service Reorganization Act to make it more independent and competitive, and established the 9 member, bipartisan postal board of governors.
The Washington Post reported February 21st that a Trump executive order firing the Senate-confirmed board is imminent, and oversight of the USPS would move under the U.S. Commerce Department.
That action is not only likely illegal, but putting postal policy in the hands of hyper partisans could spell disaster for absentee and universal mail ballots. Further eroding delivery standards or ending prioritization of election mail could make delivery so unreliable it can’t be trusted. As could starving the USPS of funds and personnel. States with universal mail voting like Oregon, may need to remake their entire election system.
Such changes would make it more difficult to vote for shift workers, the disabled, the elderly and the 6 in 10 other Americans who support mail voting.
We have more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
Council on Foreign Relations – The 2024 Election by the Numbers
GovInfo.gov – Postal Service Reorganization Act of 1970
U.S. Postal Service – About the Board of Governors
The MIT Press Reader – The Birth of the USPS and the Politics of Postal Reform
Associated Press – (2020) Trump admits he’s blocking postal cash to stop mail-in votes
Washington Post – (Possible paywall) Trump expected to take control of USPS, fire postal board, officials say
Associated Press – Trump says he may take control of the US Postal Service. Here’s what to know
Pew Research – Republicans, Democrats continue to differ sharply on voting access
Groups Taking Action:
Vote at Home, League of Women Voters, Common Cause, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, LULAC
Register or Check Your Voter Registration:
U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
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