HB136

I am opposed to this bill. People who are not absent from their town are sometimes unable to make it to the polls on election day. Perhaps they've had an injury or need a medical procedure. As a Senior, these are all too common possibilities for me! If I am laid up, but not absent from town, I should still be able to cast my vote!!

the extension in the time window enables increased manipulation in the election results. please oppose.

Thank you for taking my comments! I would like to voice my opposition to HB 136. Currently absentee ballots are accepted up until 5 pm on election day which I believe is adequate. Additionally, in order not to slow up the counting process, it is important for us to complete absentee ballot processing well before the polls close. Please vote this bill down! Thank you Rodney Phillips Moderator, Town of Loudon

Whence comes the desire to make the work of election officials more difficult? Absentee ballots are almost entirely delivered to the election location via US Mail to the Town Clerk's office. This gives them time to organize the outer envelopes, check against the list of those given/mailed out to requesters, and ease the process of properly opening, verifying, counting, and placing ballots in the counting machine on election day. There are a few that come in the mail on election day, and our Town Clerk always checks at the Post Office just before 5pm to make sure that there aren't more that came in late in the day. Extending the deadline until voting closes (for someone who needs to drop off someone else's absentee ballot??) is unnecessary and disruptive. Such an unlikely event already can happen from 7am-5pm--plenty of time on election day to accommodate people assisting voters.

Extending the time window is dangerous and allows for misuse. Voters need to take the process seriously and get their absentee submitted early. It’s a privilege to use this option. Thank you

I most strongly oppose. Please vote accordingly.

This bill creates risk the integrity of the absentee votes in our elections, increasing the chances that the ballots could be manipulated to alter the results of the election results.

Restricting reasons for absentee voting is petty. There are likely many times that a voter has a compelling reason for being unable to predict whether or not they will be able to be physically at the polling place on election day. A voter who works in the Boston area, as many do, may not be able to make it to the polling place at all. Shift workers in health care and public safety can't predict what time of day they will be working, or what hours. Voters who have essential jobs may be called out at any time. Parents of children with severe health problems don't want to choose between providing care or getting to the doctor and voting. There are so many reasons a voter might anticipate not being able to physically appear, and it is unfair to make them restrictive. Thank you.

This strongly oppose this bill. As poll challenger I observed at least 2 voters who had received an absentee ballot but decided to vote in person. These types of loopholes must be closed not expanded if we want to restore public trust in our election systems. Respectfully submitted, Joseph Abasciano

There is no logical reason for an Absentee voter missing the 5;00pm deadline on Election Day, when in fact, they can vote 30days prior to Election Day. Extending the deadline compromises those working the polls to close the election in a timely manner and again projects the image of rigging an election.

I am totally opposed to this bill. I believe in the traditional meaning of "absentee ballot"; a citizen who cannot vote on the day of the election in person due to extenuating circumstances like being in the military. It should be a rigorous reason and procedure as it was several years ago. Otherwise these ballots can be a tool for election fraud, much like mail-in ballots.