Governor Parson has stated that “If you are afraid to vote, don’t vote.” That shows a contempt for democracy, and this type of attitude might be in keeping with the US now being ranked as a “Flawed democracy” by one organization
Five states, including red state Utah and the District of Columbia have had mail voting exclusively for years. None of them have raised any significant concerns about the integrity of such.
If voting by mail was so rife with corruption, it should have been identified by the Electoral Integrity Commission, head by Chris Kobach. The commission disbanded after one year with nothing of significance being found.
In fact, voter fraud is extremely rare. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the actual rate of voter fraud between since 2,000 is 0.000000044%.
Recall that President Trump had stated that “Republicans would never be elected again if it were easier to vote.” I feel that is a good indicator of the motive of not allowing mail in voting.
No one should have to risk their health, and even their life to exercise their right to vote. In WI, about 70 people tested positive for C-19 after voters had to stand in line for up to two hours, which should also not happen in a well-managed election.
Voting by mail might well help eliminate those long voting lines that always seem to occur in poorer, Democrat leaning precincts. The GA vote conducted just this week, appears to be the latest example.
Some say that “If you can stand in line for a cupcake, you can stand in line to vote”. Well, I can leave the line if it is too long, and I certainly will not stand for 2 hours or even more, and certainly not in an adverse outdoor environment.
Donald Trump is doing everything that he can to suppress voter turnout, in a desperate bid to stay in office. This goes back to before Paul Weyrich who stated in the 1980s, “I don’t want everybody to vote. The less the people who vote, the better our chances”.
In a real democracy, the government would be trying to make voting easier, not harder.
Governor Parson has signed a bill to allow voting by mail, but for people not designated as high risk, the ballot must be notarized. Given that 5 states have implemented vote by mail exclusively for years, there is no reason for this bothersome requirement.
Why are Donald Trump and Governor Parson, and generally speaking, the people who run the Republican Party so afraid of the voters? The answer appears obvious to me.
