29th Street Ballroom
The Perfect Voting Answer
RECEIVED Mon., March 23, 2020
Dear Editor,
Re: "Increased Pressure for 'Vote-by-Mail'," News, March 20, 2020.
Vote-by-mail is the perfect answer for current conditions avoiding crowds due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if the governor of Texas postpones the primary run-off election from May 26 to July 14, there is no way to know when it is safe to gather in large crowds. This gives election officials plenty of time to make the needed changes to switch to a vote-by-mail voting system. Besides, it is unlikely that voters will want to stand in long lines and touch public screens anyway.
Our Travis County election clerk rightly states that vote-by-mail can be “very involved” but this is not a valid reason to ditch this simple solution. Election officials have experience now using vote-by-mail for the elderly and absentee voters. It is obvious that all voters are absentee nowadays.
Other states currently use this voting system and Texas can learn from their best practices. With proper precautions, it can be secure.
Voters can easily adapt to vote-by-mail and it should be used for all 2020 elections nationwide, as the League of Women Voters recommends.
It is critical that voters have a simple and safe way to exercise their right to vote.
Re: "Increased Pressure for 'Vote-by-Mail'," News, March 20, 2020.
Vote-by-mail is the perfect answer for current conditions avoiding crowds due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if the governor of Texas postpones the primary run-off election from May 26 to July 14, there is no way to know when it is safe to gather in large crowds. This gives election officials plenty of time to make the needed changes to switch to a vote-by-mail voting system. Besides, it is unlikely that voters will want to stand in long lines and touch public screens anyway.
Our Travis County election clerk rightly states that vote-by-mail can be “very involved” but this is not a valid reason to ditch this simple solution. Election officials have experience now using vote-by-mail for the elderly and absentee voters. It is obvious that all voters are absentee nowadays.
Other states currently use this voting system and Texas can learn from their best practices. With proper precautions, it can be secure.
Voters can easily adapt to vote-by-mail and it should be used for all 2020 elections nationwide, as the League of Women Voters recommends.
It is critical that voters have a simple and safe way to exercise their right to vote.
Jenny Clark