Vote by absentee ballot 

To the Editor;

Why are so many people turned-off by voting? Do they think government doesn’t affect their lives, isn’t responsive to the needs of their community or just isn’t worth the time and trouble? 

In my view, there are lots of good reasons for participating in electing our government. As a retired teacher, I vote for candidates who share my belief that education is the foundation of a thriving society. More importantly, I vote for candidates who follow through on those values. In 2019, I was very pleased that the Legislature and Gov. Mills restored funding for Maine schools after years of neglect. Investing in quality education for our youth is a smart investment for all Maine communities.

We have an important primary election coming up on July 14. It’s our chance to choose candidates for state and federal office, whose actions will affect our lives. Polling places are scheduled to be open state-wide, but for health reasons I’m opting to vote by absentee ballot this year. Although you won’t actually receive your ballot until June, making the request now helps your town clerks schedule their workload for the election in July.

To request an absentee ballot, you can phone the Secretary of State’s office at 207-624-7736 or request electronically at maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/AbsenteeBallot/index.pl You can also make your request to your town clerk by phone, postal mail or email. 

Voting by absentee ballot is a safe and convenient way to exercise your right to vote. 

Carole Boothroyd

Dover-Foxcoft