I disagree with a recent letter regarding having a mail-in only election (“Save lives with mail-in voting,” April 11).

The Postal Service is not infallible; mail can be misrouted or lost. Additionally, it would be impossible to guarantee security for ballots sent to Americans overseas. I lived overseas, and mail service was frequently late, or spotty, if it arrived at all. The integrity of the election system depends upon ensuring that only American citizens vote. Mail-only systems could be rife with fraud, putting in question the legitimacy of the outcome.

Unfortunately, fraud and crime will always be a concern, in voting as in other parts of life.

A better idea would be to increase voting hours on Election Day, from 12:01 a.m. to midnight. Night owls, night shift workers and people concerned about crowds could vote in person at less-frequented hours. This plan would avoid endless and expensive court battles regarding forced mail-in voting. People can continue to vote early, and request absentee ballots as the law provides for at this time.

Obviously, we will need more poll workers at odd times, but many would volunteer to maintain the reliability of the voting system. Keeping polling places open 24 hours will be much cheaper than having the Post Office fund the voting system. We will have to pay more taxes for that, at a time when many people are unemployed and state governments are financially exhausted. The answer is to make in-person voting more accessible.

Anna Stankiewicz

Gorham

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