From Mary Michal

Barneveld

To the Editor:

As a life-long Wisconsinite, I have been proud to be a voter, firmly believing that every vote matters, and that we have not only a right, but a duty to vote. It is part of being a responsible citizen. I also believe that it is important to guarantee that all those who are eligible to vote have the chance to cast their ballots, and that voting rights are not diminished through voter suppression and partisan gerrymandering. 

I am 78 years old and cannot always rely on my ability to get to the polls on election day, so I vote by mail. Mail-in voting has been a highly reliable means of ensuring that all eligible voters are able to exercise their voting rights. Trump’s latest announcement that he would sign an executive order to ban all mail-in voting is just the latest horrifying step of his administration to interfere with election systems and to advance an authoritarian agenda. It is time for all of us to wake up to the fact that this administration is making daily efforts to erode our rights as citizens and voters. We need to demand that the integrity of our elections be maintained and that all efforts by the Trump administration to interfere with our basic rights be halted. Let’s amplify our voices in support of the rights of all citizens, not just those who win Trump’s favor. Our democracy is at stake.