On May 25, 2020, a package which was insured due to the value of its content, was sent to me from Germany. Per United States Postal Service Tracking information, it arrived in the Central Foreign Receiving Center in New Jersey on June 8. About two weeks later I began checking the USPS Tracking site which showed, and is still showing, that the package has been processed and is en route to me.

Since then I have become a bit unsettled about the status of our usually prompt and reliable US Postal Service. Our wonderful, helpful, and well-trained Postmasters at the East Andover and the Andover Postal offices tried hard to find out more information than I could get from the official site without success. They all deserve a big “Thank You” for putting up with my constant inquiries.

On Friday, August 7, I received a letter from the International Research Group of the USPS, based in Los Angeles, asking if I received the package or not. This inquiry was initiated upon request by the package sender’s Insurance company. I was asked to respond within seven days after the date of mailing. However, the letter was sent on July 17, 21 days before I received it. I still have not received the package!

We all have heard the news analysis that steps taken by the Trump Administration to slow down our Postal service are intended to render “Voting by Mail” unreliable.

Just think about this and listen carefully to your friends, neighbors, and family talking about similar experiences with the mail. You know this is true. Slowing down the Postal Service is already happening.

If you intend to vote absentee due to COVID-19, you must submit a request for an absentee ballot from the library or town offices and send it right away. Experts say that ballots mailed after October 15 will probably not arrive in time to be counted. Please hand deliver your ballot to our Town Clerk to guarantee that your vote is counted.