Absentee ballot access shouldn’t be made difficult
The AJC’s “Digging Deeper” feature of June 29 described Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger’s plan to not mail out absentee ballot requests, which markedly increased voter participation, and a proposed House Republican bill to prohibit mailing ballot applications. This is wrong-headed and hard to not see as a cynical attempt to depress voter turnout.
COVID-19 has certainly caused major problems, and mailing ballot requests to all was a good move. Many people have difficulty getting to, or enduring, the new wait times at many polling sites. Many elderly and some poor people don’t have access to, or don’t have the knowledge to request ballots online as the Secretary proposes. Many hourly workers cannot afford to miss work.
Other states vote entirely by mail, and many countries hold elections on weekends to make it easier to vote. Five million dollars for mailing requests is not insignificant, but is a pittance compared to recent tax cuts and exemptions of dubious value. Surely democracy for 10.6 million citizens (51 cents each) is worth that!
Secretary Raffensperger, senators and representatives strenuously campaigned for their offices, and swore to uphold the Constitution.
They should do their job and honor their oath instead of trying to suppress citizen voting as some are trying to do.
JERRY M. LITTLEFIELD, ROME
Photo showed baffling behavior during pandemic
I was disappointed and baffled to see the photo in the County by County North Fulton coverage of July 1 “celebrating those who care for seniors,” which depicts two women embracing and neither is wearing a mask. Those are two acts which the public is told to avoid to help eliminate the spread of COVID-19. It is even more appalling that this was at an event to honor helpers who care for needs of seniors during the pandemic. Yikes! Keep those people away from me.
In my opinion, this highlights an unfortunate example of bad behavior.
LINDA WOOD, SANDY SPRINGS
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