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walkitouthttps://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/first-class-mail-since-1926.htm
Note that the peak was in 2001.
We changed the check clearing rules in the wake of 9/11. Right up to that incident (may all affected RIP), checks still had to be physically delivered. In the wake of that, we made electronic clearing of checks legal. So part of the drop in volume from that point can be attributed to that attack (basically, a lot of air cargo up to that point in time was basically shipping physical checks around the country, chasing after still open transactions because electronic checks were not legal to finish the transaction).
More broadly, photocopier and office / home printing technology _increases_ the volume of paper involved in business, but smartphones / wifi / internet _decreases_ the volume of paper in business.
If you copy that chart and put it into Sheets (yeah, I did that), there are a couple of striking things to note: first, there is that 2005 bump up (probably mortgage related, but who knows). But second, that curve down is _shockingly_ smooth.
Anyway. While you are sitting around thinking about first class mail vs. packages, and wondering about those drop boxes, and thinking But We Still Need First Class Mail At A High Level of Service to Do Vote By Mail, well, look at those volumes, and think about how many pieces of mail would be generated by voting by mail in all elections, in all jurisdictions by all eligible voters.
I do not have a specific program for the postal service going forward. I dislike — in general — backwards looking programs (“why can’t we do it like we used to”). In some cases, backwards looking programs can generate incredibly distorted resource allocations that no one would otherwise support. We may or may not have arrived at that with the post office.
In the meantime, if you choose to vote by mail, request your ballot ASAP, and fill it out as soon as you get it, and drop it off at your town / county clerk’s drop box if it is even remotely possible for you. Otherwise, mail it _as soon as you can_, because the earlier things are mailed, the less likely it is for a snag to prevent it from arriving at its destination in a timely fashion.
If your jurisdiction offers a way to track your ballot take advantage of that.
If you realize you have already waited too late to vote by mail, find out if there is early voting in your area and use that if humanly possible.
If you feel called to do so and are not elderly or otherwise at elevated risk, volunteer to work the polls to take the load off those who are elderly or at elevated risk.
Stay safe, and vote!
Note that the peak was in 2001.
We changed the check clearing rules in the wake of 9/11. Right up to that incident (may all affected RIP), checks still had to be physically delivered. In the wake of that, we made electronic clearing of checks legal. So part of the drop in volume from that point can be attributed to that attack (basically, a lot of air cargo up to that point in time was basically shipping physical checks around the country, chasing after still open transactions because electronic checks were not legal to finish the transaction).
More broadly, photocopier and office / home printing technology _increases_ the volume of paper involved in business, but smartphones / wifi / internet _decreases_ the volume of paper in business.
If you copy that chart and put it into Sheets (yeah, I did that), there are a couple of striking things to note: first, there is that 2005 bump up (probably mortgage related, but who knows). But second, that curve down is _shockingly_ smooth.
Anyway. While you are sitting around thinking about first class mail vs. packages, and wondering about those drop boxes, and thinking But We Still Need First Class Mail At A High Level of Service to Do Vote By Mail, well, look at those volumes, and think about how many pieces of mail would be generated by voting by mail in all elections, in all jurisdictions by all eligible voters.
I do not have a specific program for the postal service going forward. I dislike — in general — backwards looking programs (“why can’t we do it like we used to”). In some cases, backwards looking programs can generate incredibly distorted resource allocations that no one would otherwise support. We may or may not have arrived at that with the post office.
In the meantime, if you choose to vote by mail, request your ballot ASAP, and fill it out as soon as you get it, and drop it off at your town / county clerk’s drop box if it is even remotely possible for you. Otherwise, mail it _as soon as you can_, because the earlier things are mailed, the less likely it is for a snag to prevent it from arriving at its destination in a timely fashion.
If your jurisdiction offers a way to track your ballot take advantage of that.
If you realize you have already waited too late to vote by mail, find out if there is early voting in your area and use that if humanly possible.
If you feel called to do so and are not elderly or otherwise at elevated risk, volunteer to work the polls to take the load off those who are elderly or at elevated risk.
Stay safe, and vote!