OXON HILL, Md. — On Tuesday postal workers that are members of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) along with democracy advocates, religious leaders and labor activists held a rally in Oxon Hill, Maryland to stand up for mail-in voting rights.
Around 2,000 people were expected to participate in the rally and the group was advocating for the standardization of vote-by-mail rules, according to the press release.
"It's to defend and promote election mail as part of that fundamental right of people to have access to the ballot box in a secure way that works, brings out more participation at election time. It is now under attack and it shouldn't be and we are going to be here with the people of the country fighting back," said one rally attendee.
Charly Carter, Executive Director of the Democracy Initiative, said she attended the rally to "support the postal workers union" and thank them for the work they did throughout the pandemic.
"Our access to the ballot is under attack," Carter continues. "I don't know a community that doesn't trust its postal workers. They are among the most trusted public servants in our country. Their voice now is even more important. As misinformation and disinformation [continues to] spread widely across our country about what it means to vote and who can vote."
In a press release statement, Carter addressed how the lack of access to voting by mail "disenfranchises older Americans, those with a disability, or those who are less mobile, or anyone juggling multiple jobs or long hours and difficulty getting to a polling place."