I am writing to express my opinions about proposed legislation that if enacted, would make voting more difficult. There are a slew of bills being proposed. I would like to address just a couple of them. As a former Township Clerk (Sanborn Township, 1990-2000), I would like to give my perspective.

Senate Bill 285 would require a copy of photo ID when voting absentee. This is so unnecessary. Clerks already check ballot requests against voter registration data and signature. Many absentee voters don’t have easy access to a copier. Do we really want to make it harder for these folks to vote? Personally, I don’t want to be mailing a copy of my driver’s license when I vote absentee.

Senate Bill 286 would limit voters’ use of drop off boxes, would prohibit pre-paid postage on absentee ballot return envelopes, would bar the Secretary of State from sending ballot applications to registered voters, and would bar making absentee ballot requests available on the Secretary of State website. This proposed bill is just mean-spirited. Drop off boxes are locked and secure. Barring postage on return envelopes makes absolutely no sense. And why bar the Secretary of State from sending out an application? Why bar the application from the SOS website? It seems evident that these proposals are intended to make it harder for citizens to vote, and are inherently undemocratic.

There are other proposals in the works that will make absentee voting more cumbersome. Please let your state senator and representative know how you feel about them.

DORIS FEYS,

Ossineke