(Anderson) Herald Bulletin

President Trump’s proposals of delaying the election or imposing strict limitations on voting by mail are simply bad ideas.

Through other crises, including wars and depressions, the presidential election has always happened on the second Tuesday in November, and there’s no reason this year should be any different.

GOP concerns about mail-in voting being prone to widespread voter fraud are simply unfounded. If mail-in voting can be an option in primary elections, as it was in the Hoosier state, then it can continue to be an option in the presidential election.

We have incorporated precautions against the novel coronavirus into our daily lives because it has become clear that we cannot wait on the virus to go away. Nor can we put our lives on hold indefinitely. It has been bad for businesses to put an indefinite hold on the economy, and it would be bad for democracy to put an indefinite hold on the election.

A more realistic concern than voter fraud is voter suppression, which is a likely outcome if voting by mail is not offered as an alternative. Those who do not feel safe may opt to stay home on Election Day rather than put their health at risk.

Our country deserves representation that reflects the will of the people as accurately as possible. That cannot happen while people who are quarantining or staying home to avoid exposure do not have a viable alternative.

Indiana should again adopt expanded mail-in voting, as the state did in the primary, to assure that Hoosiers who are at high risk of COVID-19 can vote in safety.

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