What do the U.S. Postal Service, the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, Social Security, and the U.S. Census have in common?
These are all key American institutions, part of a long list of agencies, laws, and programs developed over the years to make our lives better. In times of economic, health, or natural disaster, their most basic purpose becomes even clearer: to serve the American people. The U.S. mail, for instance, is a lifeline for delivering prescriptions and retirement checks to millions of senior citizens and veterans during the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 virus, the economic downturn, and hurricanes.
Voting by mail has been part of the U.S. electoral system for over a century, as members of the military stationed overseas can attest. The right to vote – freely and safely – is another core American institution, perhaps the most fundamental one because it ensures that the other institutions work for our benefit.
These institutions are ours – they belong to us, America’s citizens. They are not the property of any official, whether appointed or elected, to corrupt or exploit. The duty of those officials is to protect and support these institutions for the American people. My pledge to the voters is to do just that.
Ryan Trundle is a candidate for Congress in Louisiana’s Fourth District.
