1.  I believe people who made the ultimate sacrifice are patriots who believed deeply in this country’s tenets.

2.  One of America’s most deeply held beliefs is in the right of its citizens to vote into office people we feel will be our best leaders.

3.  I’ve known a few folks in the military. They are without fail people I consider trustworthy, honest, courageous, and principled.

4.  They defend our country for many reasons, one of which is the right to vote.

5.  All states, by law, are required to send absentee/mailed ballots to military and overseas voters for federal elections because this right is held so dear. People who are willing to give everything for their country deserve to be heard from all four corners of the globe.

5.  And I don’t think I’m going too far out on a ledge here when I say these patriots believe every citizen – every single one – deserves the opportunity to participate in local, statewide, and national elections, not just those who are serving in the military.

6.  Even if that means voting by mail.

7.  More than two-thirds of the states have “no-excuse absentee” voting. You request a mail in ballot, you’re provided a mail in ballot, and that’s that. Your voice is heard because America.

8.  Sixteen states only allow certain voters to request an absentee ballot by mail when they have a state sanctioned excuse for not voting at the polls on Election Day.¹ I don’t believe the people we honor on Memorial Day would have demanded our willingness to gamble on Covid-19 in exchange for our right to vote.

9.  There’s a bit of an uproar right now because several states are looking into vote by mail for November’s election. The Republican National Committee sued California to stop their plan to mail absentee ballots to all registered voters ahead of the 2020 general election² while Trump’s twitter tantrums push unsupported theories of forgeries or coercion.

10.  Patriots have lived and died defending our country, patriots Trump claims to support. He’s good at pomp and circumstance and whipping his supporters into a frenzy but not so much at honoring those patriots’ principled courage. I’m grateful for each and every one of those people who believed in the United States of America. What I wouldn’t give to hear their opinion of the man in the White House.

¹  Underhill, W., & Hinkle, B. (2020, May 19). Voting Outside the Polling Place: Absentee, All-Mail and other Voting at Home Options. Retrieved May 25, 2020, from https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/absentee-and-early-voting.aspx

²  Phillip, A. (2020, May 25). RNC sues California to halt vote-by-mail for November general election. Retrieved May 25, 2020, from https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/24/politics/republican-national-committee-california-vote-by-mail-lawsuit/index.html