Challenging election coming up

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Mail ballots will go out starting Friday to the more than 100,000 Stanislaus County residents who regularly vote by mail, which means nearly half of the eligible voters could make their decisions well before Nov. 3.

We think this election presents several challenges for voters:

• All city voters will express their views on five growth proposals and in the crowded Modesto City Schools board race. But only half of the city's voters will choose a council member. And some but not all will vote on a Modesto Irrigation District race and on one of several elementary school board races. In other words, it all depends on where you live. Candidates posted their signs mostly within their respective districts, but some are outside, further confusing voters.

• The sample ballot is not as useful as in the past because many candidates did not submit statements about themselves. The primary reason is the cost, which can run from several hundred dollars to thousands of dollars.

For example, of the six candidates seeking three seats on the Turlock Unified School District board, only one paid for a statement in the sample ballot. The numbers are similar for the Empire school board, where only one of the four candidates provided a statement.

The Bee has provided news stories about most races, available at www.modbee.com/election, and invited candidates to respond to questionnaires. Many of them did, but some did not. Voters should question whether a candidate really wants to be elected if he or she failed to provide much information to voters.

• People who have moved, changed their name or never registered have until Oct. 19 to register to vote in this election. We urge them to do so — and to fill out the registration card themselves.

Voter registration fraud has been in the national news lately, primarily related to the accusations against ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). We're not going to dive into that mess, but we will note that we can't find any evidence that ACORN has ever operated in Stanislaus County.

There are other groups, though, that promote voter registration, and most are reputable. The League of Women Voters is one; we also applaud high school government teachers who provide registration cards to students as they reach 18.

Political parties also promote registration, and sometimes they pay people to register voters — a practice that creates a potential for sloppiness or abuse. That's why we encourage people to fill out their own cards. There are only nine lines or boxes. If you let someone else fill it out, he or she might write down the wrong address, or choose for you which party you affiliate with. And he or she will have access to your driver's license number or part of your Social Security number. For your own security, fill out your own voter registration card and mail it yourself. The cards are available in many places, including online at www.sos.ca.gov.

• Finally, understand that your vote counts. Turnout is usually much lower in elections such as this one; as a result, just a few votes can determine the outcome of a school board or city council race. That's why we encourage everyone to vote — whether by mail or in person on Election Day.