Letters to the Editor
Faith in Elections
President Trump’s bizarre comments on the election process in several locations and especially in Florida make me furious and frightened.
His rants and unfounded accusations have given permission and incentive to others to make similar statements that could endanger our faith in our entire form of government.
While that may sound overdramatic, I believe history might suggest it is not an overstatement. Perhaps not purposefully, but these “useful idiots” are enthusiastically doing everything in their power to undermine one of the basic tenets of our way of life.
We must have faith in our ability to peacefully and truly elect those that govern us. Without this accepted authority of our elected officials, why should someone not push these “fraudulent persons” aside and take over for the “true wishes” of the people as so many dictators who claim to be the real voice of the people have done around the world.
Drowning out the voice of dissent and denying the validity of elections can be useful weapons in the dictator’s arsenal.
Although I did not work this past election, I have worked elections in Geauga County for many years. From my experience, I know everything being claimed by the President and his cohorts about the elections to be total baloney stuff (untrue).
We always had an equal number of Democrats (D) and Republicans (R) working in each precinct. No ballot could physically be touched unless attended by a D and R. If someone was disabled and unable to come in the building to vote, a D and an R took the ballot to car, did verification and escorted ballot back and put it through machine together.
The counting machine was set up by a D and an R in the morning and counting tape was run by a D and an R at end of day. The tape and ballots were removed from the machine and put in a locked transport box, and sealed with a numbered lock and the number was recorded.
All these steps were done with two persons; yes, a Democrat and a Republican present.
The tapes of the results were posted at the precinct. A Democrat and a Republican put all the elements of the election in a car and a D and an R took everything directly to the Board of Elections.
I have a friend who worked during elections at the board office with early voting and processing Election Day results brought in by precincts. She assures me the procedures she was required to follow were no less strict. Whenever there was a question as to how to deal with a situation not covered in training, we election workers in the precincts immediately called the board of elections for instruction.
As election workers are human, I have no doubt that an error may occasionally happen. With the redundancies built in to the process that I observed, I also believe very few errors would not be caught and corrected. I saw no opportunity for systematic widespread fraud.
I do not know the exact procedures in other states, but the concept is the same everywhere. The goal is always to assure every valid ballot is counted and all questionable situations are thoroughly reviewed in a professional, nonpartisan procedure.
You or I may be distressed by a particular election result, but I beg you to have faith in the process of the election itself.
Here in Geauga County, we have recently witnessed a government official who violated procedure and protocol, and the law, but I hope we all can agree we would not accuse all Geauga government employees of breaking their trust and the law without specific evidence of wrongdoing, because it would make no sense to do so.
So, while it is not impossible that somewhere, in an isolated incidence, there could be an election official who broke the public trust, to suggest there is widespread fraud in multiple states without offering specific evidence is unfair to each and every election official. It also makes no sense.
Whether they are permanent employees or temporary workers, election officials share an incredibly long and exhausting day doing their civil duty to make our democracy work. For those who need proof of the validity of our elections, I invite them to join the thousands of elections workers all over America who are living testament to the honor and trust I have and we must all have in the American election process.
Ann Thomas
Claridon Township
Hypocrites
This letter is in response to the defeat of Issue 1.
It can be said that one positive outcome of the defeat is that the issues were brought to our attention. The people who make their living off of societal problems, including judges and prosecutors, those who defend criminals and those who run jails, enjoy the money they make on addicts. They are also drunk on the power they have over others.
Sad fact is we have become a nation of drug addicts, duped by myths created and fostered by the psycho-pharmaceuticals industry. How unfair that these myths about behaviors, which are actually usually responses, have been allowed to permeate and infect our society.
A book called “Drugging Our Children: How Profiteers Are Pushing Antipsychotics on Our Youngest, and What We Can Do to Stop It,” by Sharna Olfman and Brent Dean Robbins (2012), lays out the eye-opening ideas that led to our passing the Family First Prevention Services Act, a new law that hopes to serve to end unnecessary institutionalization and drugging of children in the foster care system.
Did you know that children of poor parents, who are on Medicaid, are more likely to be diagnosed with mental disorders and drugged? Did you know that primary care physicians and pediatricians have been giving psychotropics and anti-psychotics to people who don’t actually need them for years? Why are we even surprised that people are turning to drugs?
Are legal but dangerous and unnecessary drugs OK with us because they are prescribed? Are we aware that judges and prosecutors have the flexibility to decide who gets to use alternatives to incarceration and institutionalization?
In other words, the powers-that-be want to retain the ability to pick winners and losers in our world.
Many who spoke out against Issue 1 are the same people who have been targeting certain children with institutionalization and “legal” drugging.
One word comes to mind: Hypocrites, especially since we have become a nation of addicts!
Robin Neff
City of Chardon
