RIck Heath: I advocate absentee balloting for M'bourough, not 'mail-in" voting

To The Daily Sun,

In my recent letter regarding the Rivendell SAU voting by ABSENTEE BALLOT rather than run the health risks of a crowded annual meeting I clearly referred to the process of using ABSENTEE BALLOTS as the venue. In Moultonborough we have a town moderator who also runs a blog that has turned into his partisan platform for palavering of politics. He will say (when it benefits his efforts) “local politics are non-partisan.” Which is supposed to be true. However, his position as a non-partisan moderator seems to make it to the left side of the aisle when it benefits his efforts as well.

In his blog Mr. Punturieri misquoted the text of my letter, referring to “mail in ballot” rather than ABSENTEE BALLOT. However, looking at the header of my letter to the editor, the EDITOR also misquoted my text and intent in his/her headline. I am not suggesting “mail-in ballots”. There is a huge difference between mail-in and ABSENTEE BALLOTS. “Mail-in” or vote by mail is an easy way to fraudulently vote on a massive scale with very little security or scrutiny.

The ABSENTEE BALLOT process has been in place for nearly as long as town meetings have been held and is as secured as one can get. There is a request for an application and the return of that signed and filled-out-application before the ballot is sent to the voter. Then even after all that, the ballot is returned in a secured and signed envelope to the town. The Rivendell article (which neither the editor nor the blogger obviously took the trouble to look at) clearly states they are only using the ABSENTEE BALLOT system. Exactly as I suggested.

How is it that the two entities (blogger and editor) took the opportunity to misquote my letter? I’ll just say that other than ABSENTEE BALLOTS any reference to voter by mail is a scheme the left has been pushing as a ploy to have people voting who are NOT by any other means, legally able to do so. Illegal aliens, non-residents, people from other states and even people who have long passed on to their final reward have been the participants of fraudulent voting and mail in balloting would explode that effort exponentially.

The real issue here is that the Moultonborough administration doesn’t want the warrant articles voted on by anyone other than those who will show up to the Town Meeting whether they hold it inside, outside or under water. Those folks have the most to benefit from it.

Since the Rivendell article in the Valley News last week, there have been more than a few other towns that are considering this same process. At least one of these towns is an SB-2 town that already relies heavily on ABESENTEE voting. But that’s an issue for another time… another letter.

Rick Heath

Moultonborough