Letters to the editor | Monday, Nov. 2, 2020: Do your civic duty — vote

Election struggles almost over

It’s a relief that election season will soon be over. Voting is one of the most important duties for citizens in a democracy. There should be no barriers to casting votes. Yet this year we have seen multiple Republican Party efforts to interfere with voting, all complicated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Some states removed people from voting rolls to suppress votes. Eliminating ballot drop-off locations requires voters to make long trips to the few available locations. Illegal ballot drop-off boxes confuse voters, making them wonder if their ballots will be counted. False claims that mail-in voting will produce fraudulent results create confusion. Reducing hours for voting in person hampers opportunities to vote. Changing deadlines for counting ballots in post-marked mail may cause some ballots to go uncounted.

An astonishing development in a democracy like ours is that people are asking President Trump if he will leave office peacefully if he loses the election. Even to consider the possibility that a losing candidate will not honor the result shows the damage our country has suffered during the last four years.

Benjamin Franklin said that we had “a republic, if you can keep it.” Make sure and vote.

Michael A. Clarke, Salida

Unions in it for themselves

Re “Modesto police union backs Ridenour for mayor” (Front Page, Oct. 28): I read regarding endorsements of the police union in local races and was left with two questions: “Who cares?” and “Why does it warrant front-page coverage?” Why should one care more about the preferences of a special interest group in a local election, than any one of their random friends or neighbors?

The interests of the police union are extremely narrow and don’t even include all law enforcement issues except that they may have an effect on its membership, including salaries, benefits and working conditions. Unions represent the best interests of their members, even when those interests are in conflict with the best interests of the city. That’s what unions do. So, it should not come as a surprise that the union endorsed a retired police officer for the office of mayor.

By contrast, my neighbors care about Wood Colony, the realignment of Highway 132, local COVID-19 data and a wide array of other local issues that the police union cares nothing about and will never take a position on. So, whose endorsement should I consider to be the more meaningful?

James Holden, Modesto

Please wear a mask

I walked into the Stanislaus County Clerk-Recorder government office and was shocked to see the security guard and several clerks not wearing masks, though everyone entering the building was required to wear one.

When I asked the security guard to please put on a mask, he yelled, “I’m immune, I’m immune.” The person assisting me said she’d already talked with her supervisor about it and nothing had been done.

Such blatant disregard for the public’s health is grossly irresponsible, and clearly shows extreme lack of leadership. Masks and social distancing save lives; we all need to get on board for the common good of all. This is especially important given that a rise in the number of cases is expected in the weeks to come.

Rose Rodriguez, Modesto

Don’t get fooled again

There is an old saying that goes like “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” That is where I see the reelection of Trump. I am a registered Independent voter. I almost voted for Trump in 2016, but when he made all the ridiculous promises — that he was going to bring back the coal and steel industries, and most ridiculous, that he would have Mexico pay for his wall — I did not vote for president in 2016. After four years of Trump’s lies, incompetence and questionable mental stability it stuns me that anybody would vote for him.

Arlene Kennedy, Modesto

This story was originally published November 2, 2020 at 4:00 AM.