READERS WRITE: NOV. 28

ajc.com

Voting access takes personal responsibility

Regarding “Safeguard access, security of democracy’s sacred rule” (Opinion, Nov. 18), John Barrow states, “I believe we should update our voter rolls with information that is accurate, like … change-of-address notices by voters themselves.” I’m not sure he is in touch with reality. Too many people, perhaps, think somehow this gets done automatically. I have had several neighbors move, and my mail carrier has asked if I knew where they moved. She couldn’t forward their mail because they had not submitted a forwarding order to the Postal Service. If people don’t file a change of address for their mail, will they really file an address change for their voter registration? This could have caused the problem we saw in the judge’s ruling against “voting out of county” ballots. If you don’t update this information, don’t get upset when you experience voting problems. We have to take some responsibility for ourselves!

TOM THOMPSON, LITHONIA

Look out for ‘guns everywhere’ law push

We must be alert to legislation that could threaten Georgians’ safety. The AJC reported Brian Kemp “opposes new gun restrictions and backs ‘constitutional carry,’ which lets people conceal and carry handguns without a permit” (“Georgia 2018: Where the candidates stand on the issues,” AJC.com, Oct. 23). Constitutional carry bills have been introduced before, but without gubernatorial support, they went nowhere. With Kemp at the helm and a solid Republican majority in the House and Senate, this legislation should sail through. Do we really want everyone who owns a gun, many obtained via means like the “gun show loophole,” able to carry in public with no background check? Georgia Carry and legislators who have supported “guns everywhere” and campus carry have argued all along that anyone who carries in public has a carry permit. When this legislation becomes law, what will their argument be?

LISSIE STAHLMAN, BROOKHAVEN