To the editor:
I am responding to a letter posted on Feb. 11 by a mother frustrated over a perceived failure of our Peterborough Town Clerk to assist her son to vote absentee; yet from her letter, it appears that the failures fall squarely upon her son.
Apparently, our Peterborough Town Clerk originally sent an absentee ballot to the young son temporarily residing in Maine. It was not the clerk’s fault that the son failed to notify the Saco, Maine post office that he was residing at a certain address, so that post office did not deliver the ballot. Then, the son returns to Peterborough and requests another absentee ballot, stating he is living in Maine. At this point, the Town Clerk does not remember the previous synopsis of the son’s peculiar situation. The son says he is “living in Maine”. The mother’s letter admits that her son did not continue to press his case, saying “Granted, our son could have pressed harder, but he was so frustrated …” Why does this son (or mother) expect our Town Clerk will remember his unique circumstances and jump to his aid without him patiently refreshing her on the particular details?
Several years ago, Town Clerk Linda Guyette went out of her way – even writing a letter to the DMV – to help my husband and I obtain our NH driver’s licenses after a paperwork snafu, and I know of several other instances where she has gone above and beyond her official duties to assist local residents. After the horrible allegations of fraudulent voter registrations and voting in the 2016 elections, town clerks across NH are facing increased scrutiny for every decision. I hope all of us take a moment to understand the heightened tension surrounding every decision made by our Town Clerk and give Guyette a round of applause for a job well done.
Karen White
Peterborough