We applaud the proactive actions of Assistant City Solicitor David Rodrigues and City Clerk Michael Matarazzo in making sure that absentee voter fraud will not rear its head again in Everett elections.
The premise of one vote for one person was made laughable by the actions of former Representative Stephen Smith who will now be spending some time in jail because of his manipulating the absentee ballot process.
Smith’s actions that have given Everett a black eye have done much to undermine the faith of the ordinary resident in city government.
However, the newly added checks to make sure that absentee ballots are legitimate will put an end to the manipulation of election outcomes that Smith had perfected to a fine art for his own benefit.
The three measures that are being planned are as follows:
Making sure that voter rolls are up to date and accurate
Sending a confirmation letter to residents who request an absentee ballot
Entering absentee ballots into voting machines at a scheduled time
We know that if someone wants to manipulate the system like Smith did, they will eventually be able to succeed, but for now, the process has become a whole lot harder and Everett voters can be sure that the basic premise of democracy of one vote for one voter has been re-established.