While the governor has taken a first step by broadening his interpretation of the absentee voter laws to allow people who “feel more comfortable voting absentee because of the outbreak,” it is not up to any governor to grant or allow us to cast our vote under any circumstances. That is our constitutional right, and governors have the responsibility to see that any and all barriers to that right are removed.

On one hand, Governor Sununu is willing to “allow” us to vote absentee during a pandemic; on the other hand, he stated recently on MSNBC and CNN that he would still veto the bill implementing no-excuse absentee voting in New Hampshire for the long haul. In my opinion, this is a very serious abuse of power.

Voters should not have to explain themselves when requesting an absentee ballot. There could be several circumstances, beyond the four reasons that are currently approved, some of which may be very personal. I trust that if someone is mature enough to vote, they are also mature enough to make a decision as to whether they can physically go to a polling place on election day. Leaving it to the judgment of the voter would be a sign of respect.

I urge Governor Sununu to drop his objection to expanding voting by absentee ballot for all elections.