'Save the Post Office' coalition demands expansion of voting by mail

As the 2024 primaries and presidential election inch closer, there has been a movement to "save the post office" and with it, mail-in voting. 

The Save the Post Office Coalition was launched in the summer of 2020, "soon after Postmaster Louis DeJoy began instituting service cuts and mail slowdowns," according to the group.

Among the demands of the group is for Congress to "pass legislation to make sure voting by mail remains safe, secure, and easy."

"Someone’s ZIP code should not determine their ability to participate in democracy. Rules, laws, and regulations vary widely from state to state, and this not only affects voters and causes unequal access to the ballot, but it also places unfair burdens on state and local election boards and post office workers," the group states.

"Voting by mail is not a partisan issue. The Biden Administration should do all they can to ensure equal access to participation in our democracy," it adds.

The coalition demands that Congress pass legislation "to make voting by mail easier for all Americans, removing unnecessary barriers to voting raised under the false flag of election security."

"Casting a ballot at home by mail is safe and secure, and should be more accessible and standardized for all. Passing Senator Klobuchar’s Election Mail Act, along with other measures, would improve election mail delivery, tracking security, and ensure voters don’t have to pay to return their ballots by mail."

The coalition’s membership has nearly 300 organizations expressing support for the effort, including the American Civil Liberties Union, AFL-CIO, the American Postal Workers Union, the American Federation of Teachers, Amnesty International USA, codepink, the Democratic Socialists of America, the Human Rights Campaign, the NAACP, ShutDownDC, and the Sunrise Movement, among many others.

The coalition notes that "Not all of our members support all aspects of our work, but all have committed to work in coalition to save the post office."

In May, over 50 members of the APWU gathered outside of a Portland Post Office to protest Trump-appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s 10-year "Delivering for America" plan. The protest occurred alongside one that happened in Washington DC outside of the USPS Board of Governors quarterly meeting, according to the Northwest Labor Press.  

The rally, which occurred on May 9, called for President Biden to nominate new members of the 9-member USPS board, two of which had terms that ended in December and are now serving a "holdover year."

The board’s members are appointed by the president to serve seven-year terms, during which they control the budget, set policies, and select the postmaster general. 

Save the Post Office has recommended former Democrat Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence for one of the seats. According to the outlet, the current board is sympathetic to DeJoy.