Reader chooses to vote absentee-by-mail

Published 9:22 am Wednesday, August 19, 2020

To the Editor:

For the first time ever, I am requesting an “Absentee by-Mail Ballot” for the November election due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For those, who like me, may not be familiar with the process in the state of Tennessee, one must first fill out an application for the ballot. The application can be found at GoVoteTN.com, picked up at the county election commission office, or mailed to you upon request.

However, due to postal delays, about which we have been warned, time is paramount. An application can legally be received back by the Election Commission between August 5 and October 27. However, the latter date does not currently allow nearly enough time to ensure receipt and return of the actual ballot by mail before the election. I am returning my application now (Aug. 15).

Unfortunately, mere COVID-19 concerns (without particular pre-existing conditions, listed at the website) are not deemed a valid excuse for not voting in person unless one also meets the age requirement (60 or older). It seems to me that a change relative thereto is literally begging to be made!

Georgia Wilkinson

Elizabethton