Because of the coronavirus, the November elections are going to be very different this year. People are going to be relying on mail-in voting more than ever. Therefore, the United States Postal Service will play a crucial role in this process. Voting by mail isn’t new for many parts of the country, but as more people are likely to vote by mail, how the process is handled by-election and postal officials might have bigger consequences for how votes are counted and the outcome. There has been a lot of speculation as to whether or not the USPS will be able to handle all of the mail, however, they have stated that they are more than capable.

There are more political aspects besides the votes. According to the Wall Street Journal “President Trump has said he opposes automatically mailing out ballots to all registered voters in response to the coronavirus, which he calls “universal mail-in voting” and says would invite fraud and favor Democrats. However, he has said he supports a system where a voter must request a mail-in ballot in advance, which he calls “absentee voting” and which he has done in Florida previously. Absentee and vote-by-mail are sometimes used interchangeably” (“The Postal Service and the 2020 Election: What You Need to Know”). By directly linking USPS funding to mail-in voting, Trump is fueling allegations that he is trying to manipulate the postal system for political gain. The pandemic has led to record-shattering levels of voting-by-mail, but Trump has tried to restrict the voting method because he says it will hurt his re-election and Republicans across the board.

However much change this election year will see, one thing remains the same if you are eligible to vote it is fundamental that everyone does so. These next four years will be shaped by the leader whom this country chooses in November. The economy, society, and politics will be a result of our own country’s values.