This message for those from the USA, or those who communicate by post with the US, because I received the following information this past week. The United States government has announced its intention to withdraw from the Universal Postal Union mid-October 2019. The UPU is an international agreement by which countries agree to receive and deliver each other mail and parcels. This intent was quietly announced over a year ago and there were to be negotiations leading to a new agreement. As of today the existence of any such new agreement has not been made public. If the US does withdraw, this could affect the timely delivery of mail, including ballots from the US and return of those ballots to the US. The articles I have read suggest that in the absence of a UPU agreement, there will need to be bilateral agreements by country regarding rates and other procedures. The USPS is stating that they will continue to deliver mail sent from foreign countries to the US and will continue to forward mail to other countries, though they do not make any statements about cost or timelyness. How other countries will handle the situation and at what cost is unknown. I have contacted my Senators and Representative, but have yet to receive a response.
