Editorial # 40 The Mail in Ballot: February 5, 2019
The process of voting has been a foundation of our republic and a privilege in our democracy for as long as our great country has existed. It is rooted in fairness and designed to protect us from the corruption that has always tried to infect any sort of organized society.
The seriousness and importance of this issues cannot be underestimated and is also the weakest point in the machinery of managing a government with its founding principles and values to be: “of the people, by the people, for the people”.
The attempt at addressing and assuring the fairness of the voting process has been ongoing since the founding of the country with the forefathers blessed with wisdom and luck to have it conceived and endure for as long as it has.
The problem of unfairness has evolved and addressed from permitting only white male property owners, to only white males, to women, to blacks, to all citizens of the United States over an established age to vote. These changes were logical, necessary, fair and required to maintain integrity and trust in the voting process.
In spite of these required revisions, the voting process continues to be the weakest point in our democratic republic with ever changing attempts to circumvent the spirit of the vote to advance dishonest agendas.
Voter identification is only the tip of the ice burg. It seems perfectly logical for every citizen to be required to identify themselves while partaking in the most important function of managing a country of the people, by the people for the people. Having it considered a hardship for a citizen to be required to provide identification while ID is required for practically everything else, but to vote, is insulting to the intelligence of any responsible individual.
Aside from voter ID, the next great loophole in the voting process is the mail in ballots. It is the perfect way to sidestep the identification process with the harvesting of ballots rampant and largely unrecognized. When election officials proclaim the voter participation rate improved dramatically because of mail in ballots, as a very good thing, is naïve, short sighted and possibly complicit. It probably means there are more ballots that compromised our election. The potential for dead people, non-citizens and non-existing individuals to vote becomes irresistible to anyone who has dishonest motive to falsify the election results.
The mail-in ballot should be eliminate completely with the only exception being the application process for an absentee ballot that is applied for, in person. This type of individual understands the seriousness and importance of their participation in the voting process. They took the time and effort to make sure they are taking part in the privilege of voting.
Voting, like obtaining citizenship, should not be casual or too easy. No one is too busy to not take a few minutes to vote, in person, a few times a year. It is the most important responsibility we all have if we want our country to operate in a fair, truthful, sustainable fashion with integrity that is trustworthy enough for us to give our hard earned money to the government in the form of our taxes.
This is Keith Kube wishing you the best in making the world a better place.
Bumper:
Keith Kube, of Crofton, is a business analyst and author of two books on business management. The books are available at most District 40 libraries, the Elkhorn Valley Museum, Norfolk City Library, Norfolk High School, Norfolk Catholic, Northeast Community College and Amazon.
During his career as an engineer, investment banker and business analyst he identified traits commonly overlook that are vital for all successful business operations and government. You can hear all his past editorials
