The 2020 elections are coming up, and unfortunately, we are in the midst of a pandemic. Many people are scared of going out to vote, fearing they could be infected with COVID-19. As such, more people are likely going to request an absentee ballot to try to participate in the upcoming election. However, the current presidential administration is attacking our right to vote absentee.

Our dear leader, President Donald Trump, is trying to defund and disrupt the U.S. Postal Service as an attempt to rig the election in his favor. At a first glance, it seems like this is some crazy liberal conspiracy trying to delegitimize Trump. However, he openly admitted to it in a Fox Business interview.

“They need that money in order to have the post office work, so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots,” Trump said. “That means you can’t have universal mail-in voting because they’re not equipped to have it.”

In addition to Trump openly admitting to defunding the Postal Service to rig the election, Postmaster Dejoy has been implementing policies to intentionally make the Postal Service as inefficient as possible. This includes removing mail sorting machines without explanation, cutting overtime for postal workers and prohibiting mailmen from making extra deliveries. These measures spell disaster, as it can make it difficult for people to receive and send their ballots on time, which can unfairly influence the election’s results.

The Postal Service has also been publicly removing collection boxes in public areas. It was only after enough media outcry that the Postal Service agreed to stop doing it for 90 days. As if that will solve the problem of allowing people to easily vote absentee.

We all should be disgusted by Trump’s administration attempts to cheat in the election by destroying the Postal Service and trying to privatize it as well. However, this shouldn’t deter us from trying to vote absentee. Instead, we must be quick to vote absentee.

As previously stated, we are in the middle of a pandemic, and a lot of people are scared to vote in person. In addition, not everyone is registered to vote in Wake County and rely on absentees to vote during the elections. Luckily, North Carolina allows us to request an absentee ballot and doesn’t require us to give a specific reason. Here is a link on how to request an absentee ballot. Also, closer to election time, some of the service desks will provide students with an absentee ballot request form. However, you can request one right now online.

But a note to keep in mind is that after you request your ballot, it must reach your county’s election board office by 5 p.m. That means you cannot send it by election day if you want your vote to count. Considering how the current administration is trying to disenfranchise the Postal Service, it might be wise to submit your voting ballot a few weeks before election night.

I would also like to note that, while you need to have your absentee ballot mailed to you, you don’t necessarily need to mail it in to have your vote counted. If you live in Wake County, or you feel comfortable driving home, you can hand-deliver your vote to your county’s election board before the deadline.

If you are unfortunate like me, and your home address is miles and miles away, you will likely have to send in your ballot via mail. If you are also like me and have no idea how to properly format a letter, here is a link on how to do so provided by the U.S. Postal Service.

We are living in uncertain times, and there are a lot of seats in Congress up for grabs. However, we shouldn’t let the pandemic or the attack on the Postal Service deter us from trying to change how the government should be run. Voting is a right that all U.S. citizens have, and we should elect leaders that respect that right and want to change the government in ways that benefit everyone.