Support the USPS with a quick text message

There’s no doubt about it — lots of people and businesses are struggling right now, as COVID-19 continues to spread around the world. But the United States Postal Service’s current predicament isn’t merely a direct result of the global pandemic.

It’s a complicated, confusing story involving possible political sabotage, and the upshot is that the USPS is experiencing unprecedented delays in mail delivery and a threat to the very funding that keeps it operating smoothly.

The delays have already affected people who rely on the service to get essentials like prescription meds, but another serious concern is that the USPS doesn’t have the funds it needs to deal with the upcoming inpouring of mail-in ballots for the presidential election. (This is where COVID-19 does play a part because in-person voting will almost certainly not be safe, so voting by mail will be important for many — if not all — Americans.)

It could impact the outcome of the election by leaving vast numbers of votes uncounted.

There are a couple of things you can do to help. First of all, Resistbot, a service that helps constituents quickly reach their elected representatives, can send a letter to your representative on your behalf. All you have to do to set things in motion is send Resistbot a text message or Twitter DM.

You’ll need to provide your first and last name, your mailing address (to verify which senators and representative should receive your letter) and your email address to receive a confirmation code.

Another way to advocate for the USPS is to call your senators and representatives directly. To help with this, a Twitter account called Save the Post Office has a simple script you can use.

If you don’t know who your senators and House representatives are, you can find their contact information by entering your address on the Common Cause website.

There’s a third option if you’re not comfortable providing personal information or making a call. Buying stamps is an easy way to give the USPS a much-needed cash injection right now. And we all need stamps at some point, right?