“If it ain't broke, don't fix it,” is still good advice

Extreme election deniers are pursuing radical changes to our election system based on a myth of voter fraud. In fact, there are only rare examples of voter fraud. In California and Del Norte County we have honest, free and fair elections. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

I recently read in the San Francisco Chronicle about a ballot measure that passed in Shasta County on June 7.

“Measure B seeks to turn elections into one-day, hand-counted affairs; requires voters to show photo identification at the polls each time they vote; and virtually eliminates the ability of voters to submit mailed or absentee ballots.”

“Measure B appears to contradict state laws that restrict when hand counts can be performed and that guarantee vote-by-mail ballots for every registered voter. State laws also prohibit local governments from adopting their own voter ID requirements.”

On August 7, a local judge granted a preliminary injunction in response to a lawsuit from California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who contended Measure B violates state election laws. Following this, Shasta County announced the November midterm election would proceed without Measure B’s changes.

It is ironic that 88% of Measure B supporters cast their “yes” ballots through the mail, even though Measure B would have ended voting by mail in their county.

Shasta County voters nearly eliminated a proven voting method for purely partisan reasons. The rest of California will be put to the test this November.

The SF Chronicle story continues, “Proposition 39 proposes to change the state Constitution by requiring voters to show certain government-issued IDs each time they visit the polls or to write a portion of their Social Security number on ballot envelopes.”

“Voting rights advocates say such requirements threaten to disenfranchise millions of eligible voters without easy access to such documents. The Legislative Analyst’s Office said Prop 39 would increase state and local government costs by tens of millions of dollars to low hundreds of millions of dollars.”

The California Democratic Party recommends a NO vote on Prop 39. Restricting mail-in ballots will affect rural and poor voters who may not have the means to travel to vote in person. Married women who have changed their name may not have the required ID. Sharing part of your social security number is an invasion of privacy and invites identity theft.

Every voter in California is sent a mail-in ballot, and we still only get a 40% voter turnout. We shouldn’t make it harder to vote. Voting by mail is a legitimate way to cast your ballot. President Trump voted by mail twice this year because it was convenient. If it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me.

Email [email protected] for information about the California Democratic Party recommendations for propositions and candidates on the November ballot or go to CADEM.ORG >> Endorsements.