Letter to the Editor - McLean, Peterson should fix mistake and then resign

Dear Editor,

I read with interest then dismay about Hill County commissioners voting against a mail-in ballot election. I was stunned that they would decide to risk the lives of the Hill County residents during this worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

The election officials have run mail-in ballot elections many times in our county and proven that the elections are safe and fair. The election officials and our health officials laid out logical, well-informed reasons to hold a mail-in ballot election.

The no-voting commissioners gave different reasons and both lacked any real substance. They appeared to be predicated on misinformation and lack of integrity. They have sworn to serve the interest of residents, and requiring many residents and polling judges to risk their lives to hold an election in person during this pandemic is ill-advised and negligent.

Commissioner Mark Peterson gave the excuse that he felt he had to abide by a few calls he received from some voters. A vote that could impact the health of our county should have required more effort by Peterson before he went against what he knew was the right thing to do, something he says he was in favor of and had supported in the past. You were elected to represent the best interests of Hill County and you failed badly in this instance.

Commissioner Diane McLean is a case all by itself. Instead of giving her real reasons for not wanting a mail-in ballot, she lamented about there not being an emergency. What world is she living in? Will a few more deaths in Hill County warrant an emergency, or is the fear of getting as many people as possible to vote the real emergency? I went slacked-jaw when McLean actually said that we are making voting too easy. We live in a democracy and should make it as easy as possible for every eligible voter to cast their vote in a safe and secure manner, especially during a pandemic. 

Would McLean prefer we establish a poll tax, religious qualifications, land ownership requirements, voting based on sex or the tried and true method of making the prospective voter guess the number of jelly beans in a jar? Would that make voting hard enough for her?

Thanks to the one commissioner who voted to allow the mail-in vote and to our elections officials and health officials who are trying to do what is right for Hill County.

Peterson and McLean need to do whatever it takes to correct their mistake and then resign their positions as soon as possible, because they no longer deserve the trust of the residents of Hill County.

Dennis Kuntz

Havre