Readers write
Changes to mail-in voting are a burden
As a result of medical issues, I became wheelchair bound some years ago. I subscribed to, and fulfilled my voting obligations by mail, and am pleased to report it was seamless and efficient.
This year, as usual, I submitted the requisite request and voted in the Public Service Commission runoff a few months ago. When I did not receive a ballot for the next vote, I called to ask why. I was informed that the rules had changed and now a new request must be filed before each election throughout the year. Before, the initial request covered the votes for an entire year. That ensured participation by bringing the information to my mailbox.
This new method is tedious. It will drastically reduce participation by voters who rely on mail-in voting to be able to cast their votes in a timely manner. Elderly and disabled voters specifically may not be able to keep up with the scheduling and information needed to ensure they get an absentee voter ballot. Many people in these categories are not online and rely on others to assist them. This seems to be intentionally implemented and should be repealed.
SHERRY HILL, DECATUR
State couldn’t function without income tax
AJC contributor Ben Burnett’s proposal to eliminate the state income tax sounds like something out of “Alice in Wonderland.” (“Income tax cuts are great. The tough part is deciding who will pay for them.” AJC Oct. 6).
He offers no reason why we should eliminate the tax, then proposes nonsensical ways to make up for the lost income. First, let someone else pay (great idea); then, at the end, he comes up with another plan: Make it an election question. How many dollars do election questions produce?
While nobody likes paying taxes, the state has innumerable essential functions (courts, highways, police, prisons, etc.) that require a source of money to fund them.
Why eliminate a fair and workable system when we would just have to turn around and invent a new system that, in the long run, would still amount to a tax on our citizens?
JOHN POOLER, TUCKER
Druid Hills wants historic school to stay open
DeKalb is contemplating closing Druid Hills High School rather than performing the long-needed upgraded maintenance that has been ignored by the DeKalb School Board for years.
The Druid Hills neighborhood has been a loyal supporter of Druid Hills School for many years. The school is an integral part of the neighborhood. Closing the historic school would very detrimental to the neighborhood and DeKalb County.
Several years ago, Emory University asked and was incorporated into the City of Atlanta. If DeKalb chooses to close and move a historic part of Druid Hills, perhaps the neighborhood should request to be incorporated into the City of Atlanta as well.
JIM BAILEY, ATLANTA
