what does it take, how long must i wait?
Ben Gibbard can't save The Postal Service and I'm not sure that we can either. Let's talk about voting, accessibility, and wondering when mail will arrive.
Some time in late middle school, a guy I liked who was a few years above me (I went to a K-12 school) posted Confide’s cover of ‘Such Great Heights’ on Facebook. It wasn’t until years later that I actually listened to The Postal Service and later bands like Rilo Kiley and Death Cab. But this isn’t about then, it’s about now. Sorry, I just needed an intro to ease you (and myself) in.
“I know there's a big world out there like the one i saw on the screen
In my living room late last night,
It was almost too bright to see.”
I don't have a TV nor do I really leave my house these days. I mostly fall asleep on the couch with my laptop playing something in the background, this past weekend, it was Shameless. And Ben's right, there is a big world out there but every time I look, I grow less and less hopeful. I don’t know what he was referring to in 2003 with lines like that and the ever-relevant “I wanted to walk through the empty streets and feel something constant under my feet / But all the news reports recommended that I stay indoors” from ‘We Will All Become Silhouettes’ but those songs might as well have been written in 2020.
I love sending mail. Ever taken one of those love language quizzes? Mine are quality time and gift-giving and due to the current circumstances, I've fallen on the latter. At this point, sending anything via snail mail feels like sending feelings twice delayed.
According to this article from 2013, priority mail sent via USPS took 1 to 3 days. Now, it seems to be anywhere between 3 and 14+ days.
In an article published by AP 22 minutes ago (it’s currently Thursday, August 13), 45 said he “opposes additional funding for the U.S. Postal Service, acknowledging that his position would starve the agency of money Democrats say it needs to process an anticipated surge in mail-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic.” He also “falsely stated that Democrats were pushing for universal mail-in voting and made the unfounded claim that mail-in voting would lead to massive voter fraud in the November election.”
It’s also important to discuss accessibility in all of this. As stated in the Brennen Center For Justice’s policy solution piece titled, “How To Protect The 2020 Vote From Coronavirus”, five key points are written out. It’s much more detailed in the article linked above but here’s my takeaways:
Polling Places - this includes “funding that should be provided to account for increased rental costs and costs associated with making new polling sites accessible to people with disabilities” and making it easy for vulnerable communities to get to those places.
Early In-Person Voting - this includes extending dates and times as well as implementing tech like apps that report wait times.
Mail Voting - this should be extended to all voters but with changes to the current system, I’m not sure how this is going to play out.
Voter Registration - states should count all provisional ballots cast by voters whose registrations were delayed by mail disruptions.
Voter Education and Manipulation Prevention - states and localities should be clear and transparent about changes to voting rules.
Like I said in my housing piece, I’m not sure how things are going to playout. Maybe the mix CDs I send in the mail will get lost to the abyss and be picked up by some stranger that will hear my voice and wonder who’s talking. Or maybe they’ll make it to my friend’s mailboxes without any issue. Who knows. For now, I’ll just keep on wondering, How long must I wait?
I am a Big Music Fan and excessive playlister. If you want to throw any funds my way, they’ll be donated to the Nashville Free Store (open every Saturday from 12pm-6pm CT) & Nashville Community Fridge (always open & regularly stocked) located at Drkmttr (the city’s only all-ages venue) here in, you guessed it, Nashville.