Use this form to apply for a ballot to vote by mail

Our household has received a hand delivered brochure with 2 absentee ballot applications. I could say it's rigged against a certain class of people. The elderly. And not for naught. We old folks, especially remembering the creaming we got for that school bond issue which was so outrageous many didn't bother to vote, might just vote down a recreation center as fancy as our neighbors in Dublin, Westerville and Worthington. This keeping up with the Jones on a pension budget is tough. I suspect the supporters do all they can to discourage the elderly from voting and not campaigning.

Back to voting. These applications certainly ask for a lot of information. Probably much more than Georgians need to know. This one has 8 parts, but #8 is not required. There is a bold warning that WHOEVER COMMITS ELECTION FALSIFICATION IS GUILTY OF A FELONY OF THE FIFTH DEGREE.

The first thing I noticed is that the print is so tiny (and I have a minimal prescription for bifocals and have had cataract surgery) I may need to look for a magnifying glass.

Second, there are at least 7-8 items one can use for voter ID and I can think of many elderly voters who might have a problem (not a current driver, don't know where their SS card is, have bills taken care of by someone else or the bank, or get confused about that exception that is listed which won't be accepted.

Third, the form to apply for a ballot to vote by mail asks the date of the election (do not write today's date), and that information is on the brochure, not on the application, which has been separated and possibly thrown away.

Fourth, the application to apply for a ballot asks if this is for a general election, a special election , a primary election, the name of the voter's political party, or an issues only ballot. Then outside that space to the left are instructions in teeny print that the voter must complete a separate application for each election.

Part 7 of the form to apply for a ballot to vote by mail needs a signed affirmation that the voter wants the form mailed to the address shown in part 4, not part 3. Pt. 7 contains another warning about legal penalty if the statements are not true.

The request (this form) must be received by the board of elections no later than noon on the Saturday before Election Day if by mail or by 2 pm the day before the election if in person. Who gets mail before noon around here? Ours sometimes arrives at 7 p.m. If I mess that up or forget I applied (not voted) and go to the polling place to vote in person, then I will have to vote a provisional ballot which cannot be counted until at least 11 days after Election Day.

I can recall "in the old days" we could request absentee if we were going to be out of town, or were ill or disabled, by calling, It wasn't a mass mailing (or distribution) and it was very simple.

Now where is that magnifying glass? I think I'll drive to the polls on that date I need to look up. It's easier.