Protecting, expanding popular vote crucial for a democracy
I read with dismay the article by Mr. Hastings in the Jan. 31 edition of West Hawaii Today against mail-in balloting. The arguments made in the article are largely imaginative, and none are sufficient to reduce the value of mail-in balloting. Let’s look briefly at these arguments.
Argument 1 is that people who fill out mail-in ballots can be subject to pressure to mark their ballots as others want. In the world of the imagination, anything is possible, but one needs evidence for a supposition like this, and Mr. Hastings does not offer any.
Argument 2 is that crucial information about a candidate or platform may emerge after a person has mailed a ballot. However, usually the background of candidates and the value of political stands are well known before an election day. The reverse may be true in the event of smear campaigns. Mail-in balloting has the advantage of being free from these campaigns, which usually occur just before election day.
Argument 3 is that while mail-in balloting may increase voting by people who haven’t previously voted, many of these people may be influenced by others to vote. What kind of an argument is this? In-person voters may also be influenced by others to vote.
Argument 4 is that in-person voting is an enriching ritual. However, I haven’t heard anyone argue against in-person voting. Mail-in voting doesn’t prevent in-person voting.
Argument 5 is that mail-in balloting is subject to fraud. Mr. Hastings says, “I doubt there was significant fraud in our last election,” so invalidates his own argument.
The reason I was dismayed by Mr. Hastings’s article is that I think arguments that limit the popular vote are ill-advised. In the last election, the reason that former President Donald Trump claimed mail-in voting was invalid was to limit the voting population. Of course, Mr. Trump knew he could not win the popular vote. Protecting and expanding the popular vote is crucial for a democracy.
Michael Keller
Kailua-Kona
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