Against Push for Mail-in Ballots

To the Editor:

I, for one, will not be joining the Democrats in their push for mail-in ballots because I want my vote counted. The Daily Signal had an article by Fred Lucas, Aug. 6, 2020 that reported, “The more than 84,000 mail-in ballots that were disqualified in the June 23 primary in New York underscore prospective problems posed by the universal mail-in voting being called for by liberal politicians for the November elections in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.” It took six weeks to count ballots in just one congressional district.

Philip Reynolds, a correspondent for the Daily Signal created a five minute video explaining specifically four very good reasons why we should think twice about mail-in voting. Those four reasons include:

(1) Voting by mail is less secure than absentee voting. No application is required. Ballots may be mailed to incorrect address. A 2012 Pew study reported 1 of 8 voter registration rolls have inaccuracies. Several states won’t allow the Elections Administrator to correct inaccurate voter rolls.

(2) Absentee voting is the most recorded form of voting fraud. WSJ, 2016, reported 83 absentee ballots were received at the same two bedroom apt. address.

(3) History of unreliability. The Federal Election Assistance Commission reported “28 million ballots unaccounted for” between 2012 and 2018.

(4) Ballot harvesting. Ripe for abuse. In North Carolina election 2018, the final results were overturned due to ballot harvesting conviction.

Having worked a polling station for the Democrats on July 14, 2020, I was impressed with the safety precautions the Fayette County Election Administrator provided. In my opinion, the voting poll is safer than the grocery store, the gas station, the bank, or any take-out or eat-in restaurant.

Did you know “the Texas Democratic Party announced Monday (Aug. 10, 2020) its effort to send more than 815,000 voteby-mail applications to Texas voters this month alone.” “With the launch of a general election “Vote-by-Mail Fund” the party aims to fully-fund its largest voteby-mail program in its history. With August’s push, the party said it will have sent a record 1.7 million applications this cycle.” This in spite of the June, U.S. Supreme Court ruling declining to lift a stay to allow all eligible Texas voters to qualify for a mail-in ballot to avoid contracting COVID 19.

I am surprised that no elected official, Republican or Democrat, has considered making election day a holiday- no loss of work, everyone has opportunity to get to polls at some point during the 12 hours the polls are open that day. We now have two weeks of early voting. There is no need to wait until the last minute and have to stand in line where you “must” social distance.

To be afraid of going to the polls on November 3, 2020, or the courthouse to vote early puts your ballot, election integrity and your freedom to participate in the governance of your state and nation in jeopardy.

Cindy Rodibaugh

Flatonia