Bill Maher wants you to #FreeUpTheMail to save mail-in voting

Bill Maher announced a call to action to help the post office deliver election ballots

Bill Maher knew there was a good chance President Donald Trump would do something shady to help ensure his reelection. The Real Time host just never thought it would involve the post office. So to fight back, Maher is calling on Americans to #FreeUpTheMail.

President Trump has repeatedly cast doubt over the U.S. Postal Service’s ability to deliver election ballots and then process the number of ballots that would come back. He’s also claimed that mail-in voting will lead to widespread fraud and delegitimize the election.

Then there is the funding. The president has made it clear he knows that approving millions of dollars in USPS funding will make it easier for post offices to process mail-in ballots. So that funding has been tied up while Post Master General Louis DeJoy has had to answer for his actions in front of a House committee.

What can Americans do to ensure their ballots get counted? Bill Maher has an idea that he introduced last night on Real Time. His “New Rule” segment introduced #FreeUpTheMail, a campaign to eliminate junk from the mail.

Bill Maher only wants essential mail to be sent until the election

Maher’s #FreeUpTheMail campaign combines multiple arguments he’s made during this season of Real Time. He’s warned against our dependence on Amazon, suggesting that it is anti-capitalist and bad for the environment. Here, he tells his audience to hold off on ordering anything from the online retailer until at least November.

Then there is Maher’s position that President Trump is unlikely to accept the results of the election if he loses. Maher has warned that the president won’t leave the White House and has sowed enough doubt to drag out court cases and disrupt any transition of power.

But if the post office is freed up to focus more time and resources on processing ballots, it will make it harder for President Trump to contest the results. This is the driving force behind Maher’s call to action.

It sounds like Bill Maher’s philosophy is that drastic times call for drastic measures. Cutting back on junk mail may not be “drastic” but in the Real Time host’s mind, American democracy and rule of law are at stake in this election.

Do you think #FreeUpTheMail can work? Share your thoughts in the comment section. Keep checking Last Night On for more from Real Time with Bill Maher and the rest of late-night television.