There’s been a lot of news lately about the USPS — and not in a good way. I’m a huge fan of the Post Office. Snail mail has and always will be my thing. What can I say, I’m an alalog girl in a digital world. As much as friends have good-naturedly poked fun at my old-school ways I don’t know anyone who still doesn’t enjoy getting an occasional piece of real mail in their mailboxes. Am I right?!? It’s been a great way to reach out and keep in touch with friends during the crazy year we’ve all had.

You may have noticed it’s taking longer to receive letters and packages through the USPS the last few months. You also may have seen a lot in your social media feeds lately about the current adminstration’s efforts to destabilize this Consititutionally-enshrined institution. The full story is pretty complicated and confusing, but here’s a pretty good rundown from USA Today breaking things down.

To be clear — the USPS has been in financial trouble for at least the last decade. It reported nearly $9 billion in losses last year alone, and things have only gotten worse thanks to the worldwide pandemic. With an election coming up in November, and many people not feeling comfortable about heading to the polls in person, voting by mail will be important for many, if not all Americans. So it’s time for everyone to pitch in and help protect the struggling USPS. In today’s Friday Five we’ve outlined a few ways you can do that below.

1. Sign a Petition

The lack of USPS funding not only threatens the accessibility of receiving mail in rural areas and tribal lands throughout the U.S., where UPS and Fedex do not have access to, but also the ability for people to receive the medicine they need to survive. In addition, nearly 100,000 military members and veterans are employed by the USPS, who could lose their jobs. More than 1.5 million people have signed this Change.org petition to save the USPS. Here are other USPS-related petitions you can sign as well.

2. Call and Email Your Senators and Representatives

Congress is on recess until September 7th, but you can still email your representatives and demand action to help save the USPS. For an easy way to send a letter to your representatives, text "USPS" to 50409. A letter will be sent asking them to support Rep. Maloney's Delivering for America Act, which would "prohibit the Postal Service from implementing any changes to the operations or level of service it had in place on January 1, 2020."

If you’d like to call when Congress is back in session you can look up your senators and House representatives here. A Twitter account called Save the Post Office has a simple script you can use to call if you need a little help. It goes like this:

Hi, I am a constituent. My zip code is xxxxx. I am calling b/c I am concerned about the Post Office. I am asking for emergency stimulus funds, a senate vote on the USPS Fairness act, and an investigation into Postmaster DeJoy & his new policies. I am concerned because this affects small businesses, seniors & veterans, and *will* have an impact on our ability to vote safely in the upcoming election. Thank you.

3. Buy USPS Stamps and Gifts

If you can, consider buying some stamps. Anything helps! The USPS usually has some really fun designs available — many that are pretty enough to frame if you don’t send snail mail anymore. They also have a gift shop you can buy merch from. Yes. You read that right. The USPS has merch!

4. Register to Vote

I know some of you may be approaching this election season with legitimate concerns about going to the polls in person with everything we’re all dealing with thanks to COVID-19. Some of you may be thinking who you vote for doesn’t matter , or that you’re vote won’t really make a difference. That’s not true. in I839, Marcus Morton was elected governor of Massachusetts by just one vote. That ONE vote mattered a lot. Yours does too. There’s still plenty of time to research all your national and state candidtates. You can check out their websites, look up news articles about them and check out their Twitter accounts. All those things can make you a much more informed voter. Your vote matters. Period. And it only takes about two minutes to register to vote which you can do  here. If you're worried about timelines for registering and submitting your ballot, you can see a full list of voter registration deadlines here.

5. Submit Your Mail-in Ballot Early and Request a Tracking Number

If you’re planning to vote by mail try to mail your ballot early to ensure your vote gets counted. Request a tracking number for a few extra dollars if you can. And don’t forget — a postal worker can pick up your ballot from the mailbox at your residence or apartment if there’s not an official USPS mailbox nearby.