Get out and vote April 6

Get out to vote on April 6th! One of my proudest moments last year was the record turnout in the election in November. Nationally, we hit a level of participation that had not been seen in half a century.

We need to be equally passionate about our local politics as we are about our state and national politics. From our school boards to our city council, 2020 has shown just how local politics can impact our everyday lives. I came to this realization a few years ago when I ran for the Maryville City Council. I still pay attention to coverage of the local city council.

On a related note, pay attention to some of what is going on at the state level as well. There are many bills that want to curb your access to vote in the next election. HB 1065 and SB 282 want to greatly reduce the period voters can obtain and submit absentee ballots. Both bills also make your voter registration card null and void as the card is not a state issued photo ID. HB 738 allows the Secretary of State to audit any election over accuracy for suspected ineligible voters and reduce changes to the election law six months before the election. HB 344 also requires photo ID, also making the voter registration card a useless piece of paper.

If you have an opinion on this legislation, share it with Allen Andrews and Dan Hegeman

Go Vote.

–– Michael Baumli

Maryville