We are now just 19 days away from the start of early voting in the 2020 Presidential election, and it’s time for every eligible voter to dial in.
Despite one party’s efforts to suppress the vote by screaming fraud and a rigged election, local election officials are actually trying to make voting easier. When balloting begins on Oct. 14, there will be 26 early voting sites - two of them will be new. Every site, except the election commission headquarters downtown will be open longer - from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. weekdays. And early voting will last 16 days.
In addition, under a court order, first time voters will not be required to vote in person if they meet a legal reason to vote by mail. And people with certain conditions that make them vulnerable to COVID-19, may also vote absentee.
So let me be clear. Voting has never been more important than it is this year, and we should not allow bluster, threats, or other shenanigans to discourage us from exercising this precious right. I’m not here to tell you for whom to vote. But I urge you to stop listening to the noise about fraud and a rigged election.
If you’re not registered, you have until October 5th to do it. So forget the cynicism. Prepare yourself to vote as if our democracy depends on it, because it does. And that’s my point of view.
