Letter to the Editor: New York State’s Voter Rolls Need to Be Updated
There are many things that need to be done for us to have fair, honest and secure elections, and updating our long-neglected voter rolls should be a high priority.
I am a registered Republican and I receive, especially at election time, mail from the Westchester County Board of Elections. I also receive the same mail for one member of our household who is no longer a registered Republican and three members of our family who no longer reside in New York State. In other words, these four persons are listed on the Republican voter roll and they absolutely shouldn’t be.
For the June 22 primary, I requested, for the very first time in my life, an absentee ballot. The process was remarkably simple. I went online to https://absenteeballot.elections.ny.gov where I had to select my county and type in my last and first names, date of birth and zip code. I then had to select how I wanted the ballot delivered, which elections I wanted a ballot for and why I needed an absentee ballot. Of course, I had to swear that all the information was true and correct. Easy-peasy!
It then occurred to me that, if I was an unscrupulous person, I could, just as easily, request absentee ballots for these other four individuals and I could submit these four votes with little fear of being caught. Fortunately, I’m not unscrupulous, but think about this: I could have fraudulently submitted four votes. Think about how many other people are on the roll that shouldn’t be! Think about how many votes could be submitted that shouldn’t be.
Our vote is our only way to have a say in how we are governed. It is our sacred right! It’s time for all of us to step up and push our legislators to do something about this very serious problem.
Ken Noonan
Valhalla
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