ACHTUNG: This is not a “fair and balanced” article. It is an editorial by the editor.

I resolutely urge area township and city clerks, and for that matter, the Allegan County Clerk, to begin a massive public relations campaign immediately suggesting voters in the Aug. 4 primary make their selections by absentee ballots.

I make this plea on behalf of public health. Unless you’ve been on Mars or have been in a coma for the past month, you understand we are in the midst of a national health crisis with the Coronavirus, or COVID-19. We have been told we should avoid gathering with more than 10 people in public places in order to avoid spreading the disease.

Unfortunately, if voters congregate at the polls and violate the six-foot space rule, which they undoubtedly will, the increased health risk will be unacceptable.

This also should apply to the Hopkins Public Schools’ special election May 5 on a renewal for the site sinking fund, which will affect many voters in Hopkins, Watson and Dorr townships.

To be sure, the primary vote will not take place until August, and perhaps the threat by that time will have passed, but the time is now to being to make contingency plans. We don’t want to be caught in an unprepared situation similar to what we’ve been seeing over the past couple of weeks.

Michigan voters in November 2018 passed by an overwhelming margin, 66.9% positive, a proposal to allow people to vote by absentee ballot without having to provide an excuse that sometimes rivals that of a teen-ager who skips school. The wisdom of more than two-thirds of the voters should be taken seriously into account.

With the system of absentee voting in place, Michigan residents should be provided the opportunity as much as possible to vote by mail and avoid the public health hazards of lining up at the polls. Postponing any election in a supposed democratic republic is not an option.

Voters in last week’s primary elections in Illinois, Arizona and Florida were encouraged to vote absentee, with admittedly poor results. But here in Michigan, we can get ahead of the curve by using a new law to make the transition much easier.

This means more headaches for local elections workers and clerks, but the tradeoff, the public health, is worth it.