I write in response to an April 15 letter by Anna Stankiewicz in which she opposed a change to mail-in only voting in elections. She stated, without details, that the Postal Service could lose or misroute ballots and that such a change would allow an increase of fraud.

She states that, therefore, this change would allow the legitimacy of such an election to be questioned. During a time of high partisan energy, I feel it is very important to support proposed changes to our important and solemn voting system with facts and democratic principles.

During a prolonged visit to the state of Oregon, I had the opportunity to witness the 2016 election and the high level of participation during the buildup to that event. Automatic voter registration occurs in Oregon during the application for an automobile license.

Two weeks before an election, a ballot is mailed to every registered voter. Optional in-person voting is allowed at each county office. A system is in place to prevent duplicate voting. This mail-in system was initiated through a citizen-based referendum 20 years ago.

Oregon voter turnout is among the highest in the nation. Fraudulent voting in the 2016 election there totaled only 0.002 percent, according to a study by Oregon’s secretary of state.

At a time of a pandemic, such a change in our state voting system seems logical and makes good sense to me. The act of voting would be more available to our citizens, and evidence supports that fraud would not be more common.

David Scotton

Cape Elizabeth