The Democrats often accuse the Republicans of voter suppression.  Senator Schumer makes these charges as he pushes HR1 (The For the People Act) to give the Federal government greater control over the electoral process. 

The danger of further concentration of power in Washington, D.C. is frightening to me.  Is this act needed to protect voter’s rights? 

The progressives obviously believe so.  One internet blogger claimed that “Republicans have introduced 425+ Voter Suppression bills in 49 states this year.”  

That is a ridiculous charge.  I do not think it suppression when Republicans call for measures to make the electoral process open to all and yet relatively free from the possibility of chicanery. 

Reforms that I would support include the following:

·        Voter identification should be required.  Identification is a requirement for almost any transaction in our modern society, and it should be required for the very important function of casting one’s ballot.

·        Voting should be in person unless someone requests and receives an absentee ballot because of disability, absence on military service, or some other valid reason.  These absentee ballots must sent out in time to be returned on or before election day, and no absentee ballots should be received and counted after midnight on that day.

·        There should no more than a week of early voting at designated polling places.  Places for early voting and election day voting should be of sufficient number and open long enough to allow all citizens the opportunity to cast their ballots

I realize that some states have become quite accustomed to and perhaps proficient in the process of mail-in voting; but numerous studies have shown that mail-in voting is inherently prone to greater chances of fraud, and I prefer that mail-in balloting be restricted to disabled or absentee voters.  For the sake of fraud-free elections, citizens should be willing to sacrifice a few hours to cast their ballots in person. Nevertheless, if mail-in voting remains a standard process in certain states, fraud avoidance measures must be tightened.

It seems that anything the Republicans propose as a means to improve election integrity is automatically labeled as voter suppression by the Democrats.  I suggest that everyone read Mollie Hemingway’s book Rigged, about the 2020 elections.  It is a scholarly work, well researched, that should convince you that voting reforms are needed,