We must prepare to protect the election

The 2020 election is only seven months away. It is imperative to enact legislation that will assure the November elections occur fairly.

It is not a given that our democracy can be sustained in this time of the COVID-19 crisis. There have been many reports about politicians who have made the virus an excuse to enact totalitarian laws. The Atlantic reports that Hungary is considering a bill that will essentially make the prime minister a dictator. In Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu has used the virus as an excuse to postpone his criminal trial and has given himself powers that allow him to monitor compliance with quarantines using tactics used for terrorists. Even in the United States, this same trend has raised its ugly head. Our own Department of Justice asked for emergency powers that would allow police to indefinitely detain a person without trial during emergencies.

Connecticut has the most restrictive voting rules in the nation. Tell Sen. Heather Somers and local state representatives to pass legislation that allows easy in-person and absentee voting by mail. Tell U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, and Rep. Joe Courtney to support Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s legislation that would provide money to states to assure a fair election. Dana Oviatt Groton

Thoughts and feedback about the Opinion pages can be emailed to Editorial Page Editor Paul Choiniere at p.choiniere@theday.com or by using his Twitter feed, @Paul_Choiniere. He can also be reached by phone at (860) 701-4306.