Sue Richardson from Jefferson, Iowa is sharing a story about the impact of voter suppression. The decrease of available times did not thwart her voting determination. Read her story of her time and her personal financial cost to vote in the November 2022 election.
On Tuesday, October 18, I went to the Greene County Courthouse to determine the best way to vote as I was flying to California early the next day to be with my brother who was in hospice care. Since it was the day before early in-person voting started, voting was not an option.
Our Greene County auditor was very helpful and said it would be best for them to mail the ballot to me in California. I completed the forms with the address where I was staying. Knowing the time to return absentee ballots was shortened by the Iowa legislature from 29 to 18 days, I checked the mailbox daily. After ten days, I had my husband check with the auditor to make sure the ballot had been mailed and confirm the address to which it was sent. They said they had mailed the ballot the day early voting began.
After fourteen days, I still did not have a ballot. I had my husband request to cancel my previous ballot and ask the auditor’s office to send another ballot with one day delivery. They were able to do this, but we were responsible for the cost. I received the second ballot one day later, completed it, and went to the post office to send it back with one day delivery. At that time, I had to make arrangements for someone to come and stay with my brother while I went to mail my ballot.
It cost a total of $40 for me to vote and it arrived the last day possible to have it counted.
I keep thinking about all the people who might have given up, missed the deadline, and been denied
their right to vote because of the Republican legislators’ paranoia about large-scale voter fraud that was
imagined and not fact. Not giving voters access and adequate time to cast their ballots is a threat to
democracy and should be a wakeup call to all Iowans to make their voices heard.
Sue is a retired elementary teacher and serves on the Greene County Democratic Central Committee. She frequently has her letters to the editor published in the local newspaper.