Vote by Mail (opinion)
A number of Nevada’s rural county commissions have passed or are considering resolutions expressing their opposition to mail-in voting. Taking their cue from President Trump, they base their opposition on claims that mail-in voting is rife with fraud. It’s no coincidence that these exclusively Republican officials feel threatened by mail-in voting, and it has nothing to do with fraud, real or imagined.
President Trump made it clear enough when he said on Fox News that expanding voter participation through mail-in voting would mean “you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again.”
In reality, mail-in voting in the time of Covid-19 is the quintessential non-partisan issue. There is simply no way the COVID-19 crisis will be resolved by November. So why, in the face of this deadly disease which spreads person-to-person, would you require citizens to circulate through crowded polling places, manned by vulnerable volunteers, in order to exercise their most basic right as citizens?
Especially when the June primary showed we have a simple, effective alternative, which is endorsed by our Republican Secretary of State as well as numerous County Clerks?
Come November, if our democratic process is to survive the crisis, we must give voters the opportunity to participate safely, through the mail.
For those who aren’t comfortable voting this way and who, for whatever reason, insist on voting in person, we must also provide voting sites open over a sufficient period of time to meet their needs. Please contact Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, your local county clerk, and your representatives. Let them know it’s time to stand up for full participation in our democracy.