Debunking USPS conspiracy theories.

I've been dubious about the USPS conspiracy-theorizing. Yes, Trump may, in his usually ham-handed way, be trying to rig the election in his favor (or what he thinks will be in his favor) by underfunding the Postal Service in hopes it will hurt mail-in voting. But a few points to consider.

1. Just because people are sharing images of mail collection boxes on the streets being removed does not mean it's part of an attempt to block mail-in balloting. First-class mail is far less common now, so drop-offs in those boxes are probably way down, to the point it becomes inefficient to keep them. And citizens can still post their mail from their own mailboxes or at the post office.

2. Just because people are sharing stories about post offices removing sorting equipment does not mean it's part of an attempt to block mail-in balloting. With the volume of mail declining, and the post office's package delivery business increasing, infrastructure changes are going to be a normal part of business, as fewer sorting machines are needed, but more package sorting space is.

3. Ballots will be easy to sort. The envelopes are recognizable, and most are going to be local in a vote-by-mail state. It won't be hard for local postal workers to prioritize them, whether formally or informally.

4. Ballots can be delivered to the county clerk's office. Unless you're voting from too far away to readily get to the clerk's office, you're not reliant on the post office.

In conclusion, yes, Trump may think he's trying to ball up the works, but in reality he's probably not going to manage to do so. And most of these changes you're seeing are the natural evolution of the post office in the era of electronic communication and on-line shopping.

Don't panic.