Dear Editor:

I am writing to urge voters to become more informed on the upcoming November referendum on absentee voting.

If this referendum becomes law, you’d no longer be able to pick up or drop off a ballot for your elderly parent who lives in another town.

Your disabled neighbor wouldn’t be able to just pick up the phone and request a ballot from their town office – even though they’ve done just that for years.

Local town and city clerks wouldn’t be able to check their own drop-off boxes, meaning many would simply opt to not have a drop-off box.

It would limit the number of secure ballot drop-off boxes a town may offer.

It would second-guess town clerks, requiring a two-person, bipartisan team to check ballot boxes, instead of the clerk or a trusted member of their staff. This restriction will place undue pressure on town clerks, and will lead to many towns simply getting rid of their secure drop boxes.

It would prohibit towns from including return postage on absentee ballots, even if taxpayers vote to fund it.

It shortens the time period for early absentee voting by two days - two of the most popular days for early absentee voting.

Mainers are proud of our tradition of civic engagement, and our voter turnout is consistently among the highest in the country. Absentee voting is a key part of that safe, secure tradition. Please support efforts to encourage voting against this referendum.

info from Save Maine Absentee Voting

Sherry Lyons

Alna