Support third-party registrar candidates in Middlesex County

Voters in Deep River, East Hampton and Essex will have a chance this year to elect a third registrar. Sean Ames is running as a write-in candidate in Deep River, and Brian Gay and Alex Foster are running on the Green Party line in East Hampton and Essex, respectively. Under election law, the two major parties are guaranteed a registrar position, but if one of these candidates gets enough votes, he will be elected, too.

It makes sense to have more than two registrars. The party registrars are elected to protect the interests of their parties, but the largest group of voters (40 percent in Essex, 45 percent in Deep River and 49 percent in East Hampton) are unaffiliated or minor party.

Recently, we’ve seen attempts by hackers, whether foreign or domestic, to break into voter databases across the nation. We’ve also seen clerical errors in the voter lists and attempts to remove voters because they share a name similar to another voter.

A third set of eyes is needed to improve the accuracy of the voter lists, to navigate the more complex election procedures mandated by the state, and to watch out for the interests of the growing number of voters who choose not to affiliate with one of the major parties, opting instead to join a third party or no party at all.

David Bedell,

Wallingford