This commentary is by Sarah Anderson, who directs the Global Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies. For over 250 years, Americans have relied on the United States Postal Service (USPS) for the timely processing of their mail, no matter the conditions. After we dropped it in a b ox or gave it to a letter carrier, we could count on our mail being postmarked on that date so that our bills and tax returns weren’t late and our election ballots were counted.  Unfortunately, this trust is now increasingly risky, since we can no longer rely on USPS to postmark mail on the day it’s collected.  As part of former U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s broader cost-cutting and restructuring plan, the Postal Service has stopped its practice of picking up mail at the end of every day from all post offices. This means your ballot or bill payment could sit there until the following morning or even longer before being postmarked at a huge processing center.  This gap between mail collection and postmarking is particularly concerning for rural residents, for two main reasons.  First, the decision to eliminate evening collections applies only to post offices located more than 50 miles from a regional processing center. This raises strong concerns about whether a federal agency with an obligation to provide universal service to all Americans is actively discriminating against rural communities. Second, rural residents rely especially heavily on our public Postal Service for voting and paying bills. Vermont, which has the nation’s highest percentage of rural residents and one of the highest rates of mail-in voting, could be especially hard hit. READ MORE During the 2024 general election, USPS delivered more than 99 million ballots to and from voters. The mail-in option makes voting much easier for rural residents who live long distances from their polling place.   Half of rural county polling sites serve an area larger than 62 square miles, while half of urban polling sites serve an area of less than two square miles. Vote by mail is particularly important for seniors, who are more likely to have mobility issues that make it difficult to cast their ballots in person. Americans 65 or older make up about 20 percent of all rural residents, compared to just 16 percent of urban residents. Vermont — the third oldest state by median age — could be hard hit. Older Americans are also more likely to drop a check in the mail rather than pay bills online. According to a USPS survey, 18 percent of households headed by someone 55 and older paid their bills by mail, compared to just 7 percent of those aged 18 to 34.  A key reason many rural residents use USPS for bill-paying: the digital divide. An Institute for Policy Studies analysis of the 15 most rural states found that only one, North Dakota, had a broadband access rate higher than the national average in 2024. More than 20 percent of the population lacked broadband access in seven of these states: Alaska, West Virginia, Montana, Alabama, Mississippi, Wyoming, and Iowa.  The decision to downgrade postal service standards and eliminate evening collections increases the risk of disenfranchising voters and raising costs for families already struggling to pay their bills. These problems are particularly serious as the nation heads into a tense election season. To maintain public trust, USPS should restore same-day postmarking and do whatever it takes to protect voting rights for all Americans, whether they live in the most remote mountain village or the largest city.  Our democracy depends on a strong public Postal Service. Read the story on VTDigger here: Sarah Anderson: Vermont’s rural residents face big risks from postal delays. ...read more read less