Calling prepaid return envelopes accompanying this year's absentee ballot applications "wasteful government spending," is simply a euphemism for, "Don't trust Democrats."
This year CT was given money via the CARES Act specifically for purposes related to voting. These funds must be used by the end of 2020 and any remaining funds will be returned to the federal government. The simple fact is that in this election, CT residents are not footing the bill for return postage.
Now let's take an honest look at whether this is costing CT "millions of taxpayer dollars." A little simple math exposes that statement as untrue. There are 1,289,737 active voters registered to a party* eligible to vote in the primary. Even if the state paid full 55-cent postage on each return envelope (which at this volume is extremely unlikely) the total is only $709,355.35. Clearly, this is not "millions of taxpayer dollars."
Moreover, since the government doesn't pay for any unreturned envelopes, the realized cost is likely much lower. And the effectiveness of reaching voters directly? Very high.
I think using CARES Act funds for this investment is not only worth it, it is the exact manner in which we were entrusted to spend it. It makes sure there are no barriers to people executing their constitutional right to vote during the pandemic.
Jennifer Leeper
Fairfield Board of Education member and Democratic candidate for State House of Representatives District 132
* Data as of the Secretary of the State's most recently published data Oct. 29, 2019.
Yorumlar