In response to the letter written by Daniel Relph (July 26), he contends that “allegations” of voter fraud have been around a long time — as if that is absolute proof. The dictionary definition of allegation is “something that has yet to be proved or supported by the evidence.”

So we should deny people their constitutional right to vote based on … what? A baseless claim because there is no evidence of voter fraud?

I could make the claim that there have been “allegations” of alien invasions for years, or sightings of Bigfoot. That doesn’t make it true.

Let’s not forget that the right to vote is not only constitutionally guaranteed but is a right people have fought and died for. Why should millions and millions be disenfranchised because of unproven allegations?

Further, just to have to pay for a certified copy of your birth certificate in order to pay another fee for a photo ID amounts to a “poll tax.” The very thing the Voting Rights Act was designed to prevent.

There are countless people in cities who use mass transit and have no need of a driver’s license. There are many poor and disabled for which having to travel to a state office to get identification would present a significant hardship. There are many more elderly and students who simply lack transportation. Why should they have to jump through hurdles to exercise their rights?

In a democracy should we not make voting more easily accessible, as opposed to less?

Charles Lee, Rumford