Approved: 10/3/2020
A RESOLUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF OREGON
Regarding President Trump’s Attacks on the United States Postal Service and Democracy
WHEREAS, the United States Constitution references a postal system as a core function of the federal government; and
WHEREAS, public opinion surveys show the United States Postal Service (USPS) is widely-regarded as an essential institution by the people of our nation and is among the most trusted government institutions with a 91% favorable rating according to an April 2020 Pew Research report; and
WHEREAS, the people of the United States rely on the USPS for the delivery of critical packages, including essential medications, small business purchases, legal notifications, and personal letters; and
WHEREAS, some states, including Oregon, have conducted their elections entirely through vote-by-mail for many years, relying heavily on the USPS; and
WHEREAS, during the current global pandemic, many additional states are shifting in whole or in part to vote-by-mail for the 2020 general election to protect vulnerable community members from having to attend polling locations in person; and
WHEREAS, Article 5, Plank 22 of the Democratic Party of Oregon platform holds that “We believe in the freedom to vote, access to participation in our democracy, removal of barriers to participation… and the ability to be more informed members of the electorate through vote by mail systems” ; and
WHEREAS, Article 5, Plank 3 of the Democratic Party of Oregon platform holds that “We consider some goods and services so essential to society that they must be offered and managed by the public for general good, including… postal services” ; and
WHEREAS, the new leader of the USPS is a major Republican Party donor, has financial conflicts of interest, and evinces a lack of commitment to the core mission of the USPS; and
WHEREAS, President Trump has openly stated that he opposes emergency funding for the USPS because he wishes to make voting by mail more difficult; and
WHEREAS, reports of the new USPS leadership removing mail sorting machines, changing work and overtime rules, and restructuring the operations of the USPS have the cumulative effect of impeding the timely delivery of all mail, including vote-by-mail ballots; and
WHEREAS, the USPS is not only one of the nation’s largest employers but also is one of the nation’s largest employers of veterans, “with approximately 113,000 employees, nearly 18 percent of the workforce, having served in the military,” as the USPS serves as a way for military veterans to continue their federal service within their own communities; and
WHEREAS, our nation’s veterans rely on the USPS for the delivery of “about 90% of all VA mail order prescriptions” but the delivery of these often critical medications has been delayed by “an average of almost 25% over the past year” due to attacks on the USPS by the Trump Administration;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF OREGON RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. We declare the willful sabotage of postal voting by the president of the United States to be outrageous in the extreme and a clear example of malfeasance in office.
Section 2. We commend the strong leadership of our United States Senators and Representatives in publicly standing up for the integrity of the USPS by means of congressional oversight hearings, the introduction of legislation, and attending action rallies with the American Postal Workers Union.
Section 3. We urge our representatives in the United States Congress to continue treating this as an emergency situation requiring a forceful and extraordinary response to include intense ongoing oversight.
Section 4. We appreciate the timely legal action of Democratic governors and attorneys general seeking to prevent harmful mail delays to seniors, veterans, and all other people of our nation.
Section 5. We call upon state governors and attorneys general to continue to take all necessary steps to secure the regularity of vote-by-mail elections in the face of this presidential obstruction.
Resolution Submitted by Patrick Maguire, Washington County
Source Notes:
- Savannah Behrmann in USA TODAY: What’s going on with the post office? Here’s what we know
- Sam Levine in The Guardian: Trump admits he is undermining USPS to make it harder to vote by mail
- Pew Research: Public Holds Broadly Favorable Views of Many Federal Agencies, Including CDC and HHS
- Alison Durkee in Forbes: New York AG Files Multistate Lawsuit, Joins More Than 20 States Suing Postal Service Over DeJoy’s Changes
