It's time to get creative about voting by mail.
Rather than debate the current USPS capabilities, capacity and efficiency, it's time for creativity to shore up mail-in and absentee ballots.
In 2012, 35% of votes cast were by early voting, by mail or as an absentee ballot, rather than at traditional Election Day polling places. That rose to nearly 41% in 2016 -- a total of 57.2 million votes.
That year, sixteen states jointly had greater than 50% of votes cast by these non-traditional means.
Based on the overall trend, compounded by pandemic health safety concerns, many predict even higher mail voting rates in 2020. Previously five states offered permanent automatic mail-in ballot systems. This year 22 more states have implemented mail-in ballot systems in response to the pandemic.
To unpack options to best handle mail-in voting, let's start with the question: What US-owned and operated resources beyond the US Post Office could America direct, or redirect, to collaboratively secure logistics requirements of mail-in voting? The answer is private industry.
The Defense Production Act of 1950, which prioritizes business activities necessary for national defense, has been invoked already 33 times in 2020 in response to pandemic for national needs.
Evidence of foreign interference in 2016 and already ahead of the 2020 election, indicates securing the election is a matter of national defense -- a matter exacerbated by the pandemic and aligned with Defense Production Act intentions.
Ballot delivery to voters, and collection and transit to counting stations is critical. It is equally important to secure the delivery, collection and transit of ballots equipment to polling stations.
Using the power of executive order, President Trump could mandate that resources be diverted to secure mail-in voting and support a trusted, fair and timely November election.
The US has sophisticated, nationwide, American owned and operated logistics channels connecting members of the public with private and public organizations. These companies have tracking technology for every item traversing their channels, including electronic signature validation for drop off and delivery.
They own and/or contract transportation vehicles for land and air transport of envelopes to oversized, overweight items. Business locations are staffed generally 9 and 12 hours per day, Monday through Saturday.
They are trusted household names: UPS and FedEx.
Questions regarding the potential for foreign government intervention loom large. Voter fraud allegations and concerns are being voiced by President Donald Trump and amplified by news media across the political spectrum, reporting his repeated public concerns despite no documented evidence of systemic voter fraud in past elections.
The 2018 midterm election process encountered challenges at the polls resulting in long lines and issues ranging from miscalculation of registered voters, voting machine and technology glitches, inadequately equipped poll stations and connectivity challenges.
The US Postal Service h
