Skip to main content
On Aug. 14, WW confirmed that the U.S. Postal Service had removed 31 mailboxes from Portland and Eugene. A spokesperson for USPS told WW that boxes were removed due to declining mail volume and only where multiple boxes were located next to one another. The same day, President Donald Trump told Fox Business he opposed increasing funding for USPS in order to make voting by mail more difficult. In a press conference, U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said that by removing mailboxes, Trump was trying to sabotage vote by mail, while presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden called the decision "bizarre." Here's what our readers had to say:
Tim Willcox via wweek.com: "I live a few blocks from the picture. There was only one box in the entire area. The USPS's reply is complete BS. You can count at least eight boxes in that picture. We're being lied to. It's so blatantly obvious that Trump and his cronies will stop at nothing to rig the election."
@sameritech via Twitter: "It's not bizarre, Joe, it's called fucking election fraud. Are you and Democrats going to do anything about it or simply call it what it is?"
Dozer via wweek.com: "Uncertain why this is even a story. According to postal authorities, only doubled-up boxes are being removed. Bad optics at this sensitive time, though. Maybe someone made a 'budget and efficiency' decision months ago, and it is now just getting implemented. USPS does have a bit of a poor reputation in terms of budget and efficiency, although I'm generally happy with it. Beyond that…I get my ballot in the mail at my home, and I return it from there. "
Alan Rutherford via wweek.com: "There was only one box at Northeast 70th and Sacramento, so the postal authorities are incorrect. Otherwise, I agree, too much is being read into the motives for removing some boxes."
Erin Holbrook-Kosgei via Facebook: "Did they really need to be removed in August 2020? If they really needed to be moved, they could've waited until at least until Dec. 1, 2020."
Lxmfft via wweek.com: "Seems like it would cost more to remove and store them to leave them where they were. Maybe I'm ignorant of the costs of them being where they were for years."
@cheryl_marlin via Twitter: "Less mail? People are ordering everything to be delivered to their homes right now. That makes no sense."
@Artobot via Twitter: "There are some locations that need to double up. I frequent a couple mailboxes in Hillsboro which are regularly overflowing."
Cathy Kato via Facebook: "We didn't have multiple boxes anywhere close to where they removed the one in our neighborhood. And it was a new box just from this year which was actively being used. Sooooo, yeah."
@is_portland via Twitter: "In Oregon, there are ways to drop off your ballots that don't involve the post office. Your voter information comes with lists of drop-offs in your community (libraries, election offices). Yes, this #USPSsabotage needs to end, but there are extra options for voting."
Letters to the editor must include the author's street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words.
Submit to: 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210.
Email: mzusman@wweek.com