Dear Editor:
It is an incredibly difficult time to be optimistic about participating in the greatest freedom we have, going to the polls. We continue to watch politicians wrangle over the boundaries of our voting districts, one side attempting to cement the gerrymandering of 2011 in place, while the other side promotes non-partisan Fair Maps.
To make matters worse, the Wisconsin GOP has introduced a group of bills that grant them even more power to control the election process. Normally, when you lose an election, your party might revise its platform or seek an alternative candidate. Instead, the GOP wants to limit our ability to vote based on the disproven lie that there was “fraud.” The only “fraud” that occurred was the attempt to impersonate Wisconsin’s valid electors after the 2020 presidential election.
Even without a pandemic, the use of drop boxes for ballots is a good idea. Like public mailboxes we all use when the post office is closed, drop boxes enable us to deliver our ballot at a convenient time, offering greater certainty that our ballot will be in the hands of the clerk on time to be counted. Ensuring people who reside in long term care facilities retain their right to vote is reassuring to us seniors who soon may take up residence there. Bills that limit these options are designed to restrict votes from people who choose to vote absentee, usually due to physical limitations that come with age. Who is asking our Wisconsin representatives to craft bills that limit the votes from us seniors? And, who benefits from those bills? Certainly not me.
We are all familiar with the adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and that applies to our election process. I urge every senior citizen to contact their state representative and senator to voice your concerns about wasting time, energy and your tax dollars on something that isn’t “broke.”
Instead, our elected officials could focus their efforts on those bills that create a non-partisan redistricting method. Companion bills languish before the Senate and Assembly, without even holding a public hearing. We can no longer ignore the hubris of our current elected officials who ignore our opinions and instead try to limit our ability to cast a ballot. Make certain that they hear from you before another decade goes by.
Patricia Giese
Johnson Creek
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