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My voting process was simpler in Election 2026 than in the past, thanks to services provided for absentee ballots.
I filled out the application on Monday, and voted on Thursday at Boulder Estates when election officials came to assist us. It saves me a trip to the polls on Election Day.
It wouldn't have been the end of the world if I'd have had to vote in person. I'm able bodied and still drive my car. It was just more convenient to vote early.
It's much more than a convenience for many of my neighbors. Some of them have physical health issues that would make it very difficult to vote at the polling place. They are able minded and well informed, but they might have had to opt out of voting if it weren't for the absentee alternative.
It's something we shouldn't take for granted. President Trump and many of his supporters have taken action to try to restrict voting outside of the polling place in some states.
He persists in false claims that there was widespread voter fraud in Election 2020. I don't know if he's deluded himself so much that he honestly believes Election 2020 was stolen from him or if he's deliberately giving out false information. Either way it's not a good thing.
It's been contradicted by many secretaries of state, some of whom are Republicans. They've maintained that there was no widespread voter fraud in their states.
There's a fear that fraud claims will follow Election 2026 if it doesn't go the way Trump wants. It's indicated by how radical conservative Mike "Pillow Man" Lindell alleged fraud when he lost the Minnesota governor primary to Republican Lisa Demuth.
It's a threat to our election process when radicals claim fraud more often than characters in fairy tales cry wolf. If enough people believe them, there's a possibility that it will become harder for many honest voters to cast ballots.
There would be discrimination against minorities, the elderly, disabled people, those who live in poverty, young voters, and people who recently moved.
Another issue is the rights of individual states. Election administration is a state centered process. Federal officials should only intervene if there's a denial of voting rights, not with voting by mail that's intended to encourage voting.
The only kind of election crackdown that's needed is a crackdown on self appointed poll watchers who want to look over the shoulders of election officials.
Any radical who harasses election workers should be arrested, convicted and sentenced to at least 10 years in a state prison. There should be zero tolerance for that kind of activity.
The decisions made through elections should involve as many eligible voters as possible. It should not be restricted only to healthy people. It should not be limited to those who have the time and the means to get to their polling place on Election Day.
I hope for a high turnout next week. It's an opportunity that doesn't come along very often. I'm sensing that many people want to speak out.
They want to vote based on whether or not they're better off than they were 10 years ago. It could mean change if they decide the cost of living is too high or if they feel there's not enough of a safety net for the elderly, the disabled and families with children.
The same holds true if Putin's war in Ukraine, the war in Iran, and violence within the United States make them feel less safe.
Each Election Day should be one of America's finest hours. It should be a time when city and township officials, county courthouse staff, election judges and state election leaders come together to create a fair and efficient process.
Everyone should think before they vote. They shouldn't just vote the same way their family or friends vote, and they shouldn't vote based on a stereotype of one or more groups of people.
We have a responsibility to be part of the process. There's a need to ensure that freely elected government remains the standard for future generations. There's a better chance if a high percentage of people vote either in person or by mail.
-- Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent