Vermont Secretary of State UPU Letter to United States President Donald J. Trump

September 19 2019

United States President Donald J. Trump
C/O Mr. William F. Crozer
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Trump,

Our free and fair elections are the very bedrock on which the foundation of our democracy rests. The ability for every eligible U.S. voter to cast their ballot is a principle that must be maintained for the health of our country and our democracy.

I am concerned with the possibility of your Administration withdrawing the U.S. from the Universal Postal Union (UPU) on October 16, 2019. With over 190 nations involved, it will be difficult to nearly impossible to reach bi-lateral agreements with each in time for the 2020 Presidential primaries, and ultimately the November 2020 general election. Withdrawal from the UPU will have a disastrous impact on the voting rights of U.S. citizens living abroad, including members of our military, and their families, stationed overseas.

As it stands, military and overseas voters already face significant challenges exercising their right to vote. Congress has required ballots to be sent to military and overseas voters no later than 45 days before the election for precisely this reason, because historically it has been difficult for military and overseas voters to return their ballots on time.

Withdrawing the United States from the UPU would seriously impact many, if not most, of these voters. Voters will be deprived of their constitutional right to vote. Americans living abroad, including our brave military service members, rely on uninterrupted mail service for a variety of important reasons. Their right to vote is not a matter of convenience, it is protected by our Constitution. This is not a partisan issue.

Making it harder for our military service members, and their spouses, to participate in our democracy while they’re serving our country abroad is unthinkable. Election officials like myself have been working on a bi-partisan Overseas Voting Initiative, through the Council of State Governments, to reduce barriers for our military and overseas voters. Withdrawal from the UPU would create a major roadblock in this work.

For all of these reasons, I am calling upon you and your Administration to remain in the UPU.

Thank you,

Jim Condos
Vermont Secretary of State

cc: Senator Patrick Leahy
Senator Bernie Sanders
Congressman Peter Welch