To the Editor:
“A riot is the voice of the unheard,” said Martin Luther King, Jr. From Franklin Park to Beacon Hill, the streets of Boston have been filled with tens of thousands of people who want to have their voices heard. The fundamental voice of the community is our vote.
Today, the Legislature has a conference committee working to reconcile two bills (H. 4778 and S. 2755) to make voting easier this fall. We fear the result will be equivalent to the fabled invention of the camel by a committee told to create the horse.
Some progressives are fighting for expanded early voting, expanding time for voter registration, etc. Others are more concerned with the dangers of COVID-19. Progressives pushed for postage-paid applications and ballots as well as examination of polling place locations to prevent negative effects on minority communities.
But, universal voting by mail is not even being considered. Why not provide for universal voting by mail, the solution that is the simplest, the cheapest, and best protects against COVID-19 while ensuring the highest voter participation?
Over 80 percent of voters approve of it, according to a recent poll commissioned by State House News Service. Twenty-nine Massachusetts mayors signed a letter to Secretary Galvin requesting it. Common Cause, US Senate candidates Markey and Kennedy, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, our own little DotTheVote, and many more want universal voting by mail.
Instead, under the current bills, voters would be asked to choose from the following: (1) Vote by absentee ballot, which requires an application; multi-language education about how to apply, timetables for applications, early voting and registration rules and timetables, etc; and postage that doubles the cost over universal voting by mail. (2) Vote early, in person, which requires multi language education, exposing poll workers and voters to the virus; rental costs for the locations. (3) Vote in person on election day, which requires full poll worker staff at every precinct, even if only one voter shows up and more exposure to the virus. (4) Not vote.
There is no provision for paying for the education of voters for this new and complicated set of “options,” particularly for senior citizens, the language challenged, immigrants, and new voters. Except for postage, there is no funding provided for the other changes.
As a small example, during normal times in Boston, there are only 50 sandwich board signs placed around the city to announce voting days, and these are only in English. Now there will be multiple early and regular election days for the September primary and November general elections.
Once again, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. And if the voice of community is suppressed, that voice will be unheard, with the result described by MLK in 1967.
This letter was composed by Edward M. Cook, president of DotTheVote, and board members Linda Barros and Denise Williams Harris.
