With elections near and the pandemic still dangerous as ever, the issue of how to vote has come to question. However, to many the solution is clear: mail-in voting. While this may seem like a rather effective and simple fix, President Trump has stated on numerous occasions that relying on mail-in ballots will most likely lead to voter fraud.

Voter fraud isn’t an issue unique to our current situation, and a rise in voter fraud has yet to be linked to the use of in-mail voting. Yet President Trump believes that this switch in methods will only worsen the problem and taint the election process. Because of these opinions, Trump has stated that he refuses to support the USPS as it struggles with a deficit in funds due to the coronavirus. Not only has he mentioned his stance against the USPS, but he has gone so far as to propose defunding it as well. In fact, according to CNN , the president stated that “he opposes much-needed funding for the United States Postal Service because he doesn’t want to see it used for mail-in voting” as he believes “it will hurt his re-election and Republicans across the board.”

However, defunding the USPS will have impacts outside of elections. In fact, many worry that the USPS won’t be able to bounce back from the lack of funding as it’s already on track to lose $13 billion dollars from the pandemic alone, according to USA Today. With the USPS struggling to continue operations, it’s imperative that we keep in mind the people that depend on the postal service. For example, the USPS has been a crucial player in the delivery of medication to those living in rural areas. Small businesses too have voiced their concerns over how defunding the USPS, or simply refusing to support the service, will directly harm their companies. The USPS may not seem to have a great impact on our day to day lives, but it truly has helped our society function in more ways than one.  Everyone can continue to support the United States Postal Service by simply purchasing stamps or encouraging others to vote for politicians in favor of supporting it financially.