Many citizens will be choosing to vote by absentee ballot for the November election. Having just voted by absentee ballot in the primary, I was surprised to see that if I wanted to mail the ballot, the envelope would need a stamp.

For me this was not a problem. But I began to think about people who might be elderly and living alone or people who might have difficulty getting out and about. What if they did not have a stamp at hand? They would be unable to vote.

While it might be expensive to send out stamped envelopes with all absentee ballots, it would be the best way to ensure that every qualified voter who wanted to vote by absentee ballot would be able to have their vote counted.

I do not know how other states deal with this issue, stamped or not stamped. But Maine should do its best to guarantee that all its citizens have access to voting. Sending out stamped envelopes with absentee ballots is one important means to achieving this goal.

Lucy Breslin
South Portland

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