There has been a lot of discussion over the mail in ballot process—not to mention a lawsuit over the cost of the stamps. I’m Amy E. Feldman.
Whatever you think about the validity of the mail in ballot process, there’s one question that a voting rights group in Atlanta wanted to know: who should pay for the stamp on the absentee ballot? The group filed a class action lawsuit in April against the Georgia Secretary of state and county election officials, arguing that requiring voters to pay for postage during the Pandemic, which prevents many from going to the polls, is akin to having a poll tax, which is unconstitutional.
They filed a motion to have the court to require election officials to provide prestamped envelopes. But this week, a federal court denied the group’s motion, deciding that registered voters can vote for free if they show up to the polls, and that the burden on voters of having to buy stamps is outweighed by the state’s interest in saving what it estimated would cost over four million dollars of its limited resources. So the right to vote is priceless, but the stamp is going to cost you fifty five cents.
From The Judge Group, I’m Amy E. Feldman for KYW News Radio.
Leave a Reply