Dear Friend,
What happened in the Georgia primary election a few days ago was outrageous. It was yet another recent example of voters left to wait for hours in long lines - with some people turning away in disgust or frustration. The voters most affected were people of color - who were too often shut out.
Georgia was a warning to Americans everywhere (including in Minnesota) about what can happen if we fail to make democracy real for everyone.
I draw two main lessons to be learned from Georgia's disastrous election, which tell us what we need to do to run an election during a pandemic:
We need more people to vote from home.
I'm asking every voter to consider ordering an absentee ballot to their home this year. It's easy. And every voter who votes from home will make the polling place safer and more efficient for the people who show up in-person on Election Day.
We need more people to be poll workers.
Poll workers make polling places function correctly. It's no secret that our most consistent poll workers tend to be older. They do great work, but they are also more vulnerable to COVID-19. We need others to be prepared to take their place. If we fail to recruit the 30,000 people we need to staff the polls in in Minnesota, we risk dysfunction at polling places.
I'm an optimist. One of the reasons Minnesota has been #1 in America for voter participation for the last two elections in a row is that people know our elections are safe, secure, honest, and efficient. We can rise above the adversity of 2020 to make sure that every voter can vote. The stakes are high.
Thanks, as always, for your interest and support.
Steve
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| Prepared and paid for by Simon for Secretary of State Committee | 418 Hollyhock Lane | Hopkins, MN | 55343 |
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Steve Simon for Secretary of State
418 Hollyhock Lane
Hopkins MN 55343 United States
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