Letter: Requiring postage on ballot is a poll tax

Under the leadership of County Council member Hans Dunshee our county elected Auditor Carolyn Weikel, apparently very hesitantly, posted a transparency statement on her website that her office will accept voting ballots received without the appropriate postage.

Then further under Dunshee’s guidance Councilmembers Stephanie Wright and Brian Sullivan voted against a “poll tax”; that is we citizens should not have to pay postage to vote.

Interesting, I am hearing more and more that council chairman, and my representative, Terry Ryan along with Ken Klein are possibly wanting to violate or go around the 24th Constitutional Amendment, which was ratified on Jan. 23, 1964.

As one may remember, this Amendment made a poll tax illegal. Ryan and Klein, who will both be getting a substantial raise come Jan. 1, veiled their poll tax support under the guise of it will greatly affect the county budget. Yet, they’re looking forward to the same poor budget paying them a lot more for their civic duty jobs. What is this about?

Ryan wants to study how this poll tax will affect the budget. Now how much will this study cost the taxpayer? Where in the budget will Ryan find the money to cover this study?

We constantly hear and read about the low turnout rates when it comes to elections; yet two of our elected leaders are not the least hesitant in putting up more barriers so more people will not get out and vote

Then of course Ryan and Klein may not be supporting a poll tax but rather they are supporting another Stamp Act?

If it is the latter, then please, Ryan and Klein, remember what happened in Boston after a Stamp Act was passed?

Chuck Wright

Mill Creek

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