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Words. Words. Words.
So bemoaned Hamlet in Act 2, Scene 2, when pestered by Polonius, the shill for the duplicitous King Claudius.
For months, Democrats themselves have shilled the lie that Conservatives are conspiring to circumscribe voting rights.
I feel Hamlet’s pain.
First, let’s get two things clear: Republicans DO want every citizen of this country to vote and thereby exercise their most sacred right and responsibility.
Second, Republicans believe that every vote needs to count for the candidate for whom it was cast.
This, apparently, is where the Democrats and I part company
.Pardon my electoral profanity, but dare I raise the f-word? The potential for fraud, particularly with absentee ballots, does exist. Connecticut’s Supreme Court acknowledged as much 1982, when justices wrote in Wrinn v. Dunleavy, “’there is considerable room for fraud in absentee voting and that a failure to comply with the regulatory provisions governing absentee voting increases the opportunity for fraud.’”
Folks, when opportunity knocks, opportunists will open the door. Consequently, Connecticut’s courts have has repeatedly recognized absentee balloting “as a special privilege exercisable only under special conditions to ensure the secrecy of the ballot and the fairness of voting by persons in this class.’”
Those last words were written in 2017 by Justice Richard Palmer — a Democrat — who retired from the bench in 2020.
Several states – many of them led by Republican governors and legislatures – offer early voting and more liberal absentee balloting provisions than Connecticut. It’s a lie to say the GOP is opposed to either of these concepts. These states, unlike Connecticut, go to great lengths to protect the integrity of the ballots cast.
Honest Democrats must ditch the Progressive script and work with those of us who want real electoral reform that leads to an engaged citizenry voting in clean elections. Let’s start by demanding Secretary of State Denise Merrill take decisive action to ensure our voter rolls are accurate and that clearly defined procedures are strictly adhered to and enforced.
Faith Ham
Cheshire, CT