Can the USPS Deliver Votes? 

How has the United States Postal Service, an institution whose antecedents go all the way back to 1775, become one of the central bones of contention between Republicans and Democrats in the 2020 elections?

Let’s start from the beginning. In March this year, the COVID-19 pandemic erupted across the world. Even before the true extent of the pandemic became clear, the Democrats demanded an increase in the options for mail-in voting. Voting by mail, under certain conditions, has been an option for some time, but in the wake of the crisis, many states decided to ease the rules to make it possible for more voters to mail in their ballots.

The Democrats justified this by citing concerns for the health of voters and poll workers, at a time when little was known about the (definitely low) chances of being infected while standing in line at a polling station in the open air.

Several states did indeed change their rules, making it possible for anyone to vote by mail even without providing a special reason, as was previously required. According to a New York Times investigation, the changes mean that nine states, plus the District of Columbia, representing 44 million voters, will mail ballots directly to all voters, who will have to fill them in and mail them back before election day. Among these states: New Jersey, Utah, Colorado, and California.