LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Be thankful for mail-in voting

Sun, Aug 9, 2020 (2 a.m.)

I moved to Las Vegas last year and I can tell you first-hand that Florida is the most screwed-up state in the union.

I won’t bore you by going through the nightmare of the 2000 election, or the subsequent elections in which outcomes were challenged due to discrepancies and long lines due to polling closures.

What most people don’t know is that two years ago, the people of Florida, through a ballot referendum, overwhelmingly voted to give people who had served their prison sentences (except for those convicted of murder or child molestation) their right to vote back. The Republican-majority legislature ignored the will of the people and enacted draconian measures to make sure these people never see the inside of a voting booth.

The majority of the people affected are people of color. They now have to pay back the state for all costs associated with their incarceration if they want to vote. This is called a “poll tax,” since there is no such rule if you choose not to vote.

Nevada allowing people to vote during a pandemic seems like a reasonable and responsible thing to do. It is hard enough to get people to vote in normal times. Don’t forget, you can still go to your polling place and vote in person, but now we have an option.

I’ll take Nevada over Florida any day.

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