Letter to the editor: Statewide vote by mail needed

Voters in Marion County will have an advantage over all other voters in the state in the upcoming June 2 primary election. They are automatically receiving absentee ballot applications in the mail that will facilitate the process for Marion County voters to vote safely from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

While all voters in the state are eligible to vote by mail in the upcoming primary election, if you live outside of Marion County, you are left to fend for yourself. As a voter outside of Marion County, you will need to learn about the process, locate the application online, download it, complete it and return it to your county election office.

Why is this happening? Lack of leadership on the part of Secretary of State Connie Lawson means that not all voters will have the same opportunity to vote.

She is putting the lives of poll workers and voters in jeopardy by not helping voters to vote safely from home in the upcoming election.

There is money available to help counties better serve voters by making vote by mail more available, but Secretary Lawson is spending money on personal protective equipment. In addition, there could very well be a shortage of willing poll workers: this will, in turn, lead to extremely long lines at any polls open on Election Day.

In short, Secretary Lawson is failing Indiana voters.

Secretary Lawson could direct all of the county clerks to send absentee ballot applications to registered voters, but she has not.

She could spend more money helping counties handle an increase in mailed ballots, but she has not.

She could give all registered Hoosier voters the equal opportunity to vote, but she has not.

Secretary Lawson’s legacy will be that she denied all registered voters in Indiana an equal opportunity to vote in the 2020 elections.

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Barbara Tully
President, Indiana Vote By Mail