The public usually puts the US Postal Service at the top of its list when asked to rate how well they view government agencies. The public also takes the mail system for granted, until it’s under attack. Ironically, in this age of the internet and e commerce, the USPS became critical to our democracy because the pandemic resulted in 75 percent of the country being eligible to vote by mail in the 2020 election.

It has become obvious that reforms are need in many areas of our democracy, and while I focus on legislation at the federal level, do not overlook what is happening locally.

Our Founding Fathers understood history. They saw that democracies are susceptible to demagogues, to majority rule becoming mob rule, to the subjugation of minorities, and to trampling on individual rights. And so they sought to curb the excesses of democracy through representation, separation of powers, checks and balances, and the protection of individual rights.

“The vote is precious. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democratic society, and we must use it.”
—John Lewis

After historic voter turnout in 2020, 18 states enacted 30 laws that restrict access to the vote (between January 1 and July 14, 2021) while at the same time at least 25 states enacted 54 laws with provisions to expand voting access. This deepens a national divide where the right to vote appears to depend on where in the USA you live.