On October 30, 2012, Morgantown City Council will hear the public’s opinion about whether or not they support the continuation of the Vote by Mail Pilot project at the Committee of the Whole meeting in City Council chambers.
Two citizens spoke October 16, 2012 at Morgantown City Council about this issue. Don Spencer eloquently speaks about participation and the pilot project’s history in his statement to City Council. He points out that “It was Morgantown which requested that the program be adopted by the legislature in the first place”. It seems bizarre that some City Council members are now mulling over a $4,000 price increase in the next municipal election when the most fundamental right guaranteed to Americans saw a two-fold increase at the last municipal election. Lyndell Millecchia remarked about how much she liked the convenience and how much voting methods have changed over the years.
Just this Saturday, Phil Keisling’s – former Secretary of Oregon State – letter to the editor was published in the New York Times Sunday Review. In Phil’s letter he points out that “In November 2010, just two states exceeded 70 percent turnout of their registered voters: Oregon and Washington.” Both of these states have vote-by-mail elections, such stellar records do speak loudly.
What part of this equation do some Morgantown City Council members not understand? Only by completing this project will the State of WV be able to determine whether or not it was a success. And if it is a success, we, the citizen’s of WV will be the beneficiaries. In this age of internet technology, you may be tempted to send an email expressing your opinion, and while it may enable a moral nudge, there is no obligation by the City that your email will ever end up in the public domain unless you post it somewhere online. This is why I am entreating that you and as many of your friends that can attend show up at the Morgantown Council Chambers on the 30th to express your support in the continuation of this Pilot Project.