Measure E fight should continue If the...

Measure E fight should continue

If the Measure E debacle provided the residents of Huntington

Beach with one indelible lesson learned, it would be the insidious

power of big money contributions from outside special interests.

Despite its populist patina, Measure E was a small group,

backroom-concocted power grab that only had the outside dollars

drummed up by Scott Baugh behind it.

The same coalition of community interests that helped to expose

and defeat Measure E would do well to continue their diligence

through November to expose and defeat City Council candidates who

attempt to take a similar path of relying on special interests and

outside money to run their campaigns. That goes double for those

candidates who additionally try to inject partisan politics into

their efforts.

Like it or not, the current City Council is largely the product of

support from inside Huntington Beach, and that’s the way it should

be. Those forces who would subvert this process for their own selfish

ends do not have the best interests of our citizens in mind.

TIM GEDDES

Huntington Beach

Polling problems raise bigger issues

Jenny Marder’s news story (“A rough start for polling system”

March 11) raises some important issues. I was lucky to have someone

at the polling place that warned me not to press the big red Cast

Ballot button until I was finished with my ballot. I now wonder if

that was a lesson the poll workers learned from earlier voters who

pressed the button before they were finished with their ballot.

Marder’s story calls attention to the critical need for training

both poll workers and voters how to use the new system. We can’t risk

repeating these same mistakes during the November election. Poll

workers should be certified on the operation of the new machines.

They need to be trained how to issue correct PIN numbers (this

issuing the correct ballots), and how to fix an error if they

accidentally issue the wrong PIN.

Every voter needs to have the opportunity to receive hands-on

training using the new electronic voting machines. The county needs

to set up voter training outside of supermarkets, allowing people to

practice casting ballots with the help of qualified trainers.

Ideally, the trainers would also be our poll workers.

My other major complaint is that the new system doesn’t create any

sort of paper backup of each ballot. The beauty of a computer system

is that it should be relatively easy to print a paper receipt that

shows each voter their ballot and how they voted. I’d love to walk

away from the poll with a copy of my ballot. We also need these hard

copy ballots on file in case a recount is necessary. There’s no such

thing as a computer system that is error-free, hack-proof or

crash-proof. In the event of a major problem, we need paper backups.

Politics is an ugly business, and this November’s election could

be one of the ugliest we’ve ever seen.

One of the great parts about a democracy is the ugliness of the

political campaign comes to an end when people cast their vote. We

may not like or trust all of the candidates, but we all trust the

ballot box and agree to abide by the results. This only works if we

walk away from the poll feeling confident that everyone’s ballot was

counted. The county owes it to the voters and the nation to invest in

training everyone to use the new voting machines.

JIM ERWIN

Huntington Beach

Voting machines easier to deal with

I had a terrible experience on voting day.

My voting place is Hope View School in Huntington Beach, which had

the new voting booths.

Realizing it was new to everyone, one would expect problems and

expect help.

I was directed to a booth and sat down and tried to follow the

directions, which was to first turn the dial to the appropriate

language. I tried to do this and all I got was Spanish. I asked for

assistance, and the lady next to me said “keep turning the dial,”

which I did. A second person (helper) said the same thing. I tried

again. Nothing happened. Finally, the lead volunteer came by and in a

very nasty, condescending manner said, “Can’t you speak Spanish?” I

said, “No, and I don’t like you making me feel stupid.” She also said

in a condescending way, and loudly, “Just hit reverse, that’s what

reverse is for.” I said “I understand what reverse is. I’m not

stupid.”

About the same time the lady next to me said, “Oh, my kids were

playing on the machine.” (Why were little children allowed in that

area?)

That was the reason the machine was hung up. After hitting

reverse, the machine got to the beginning point of the process. It

went very smoothly after that.

As I was leaving, the lead volunteer did apologize, but it was too

late.

I may be a third generation American citizen but did not come from

Mexico or any other foreign country and have never spoken Spanish. I

felt she was very racist in her comment that she expected me to be

able to speak Spanish.

This lady does not belong in a position like this. Since I did not

know where to complain, I found an assistant chairperson on the

Federal Voting Committee in Washington, D.C. and sent an e-mail to

her with my complaint.

There needs to be a place where conduct like this can be reported.

I found the new machines quite easy.

MADELINE SHERMAN

Huntington Beach

Cutting teachers hurts education

I think that a school closure, combined with the possibility of

class sizes increasingly puts our children in jeopardy. In addition

to losing quality teachers, the superintendent as well as the school

board are also considering cuts to other crucial positions as well.

So, as well as overcrowding classrooms and giving students less

chance to have the individual attention that they need, deserve and

are used to, we face losing our support staff as well. This puts our

kids in danger.

I am the parent of a diabetic second-grader, who, except for her

physical disability, is a bright, normal kid. Next year, my daughter

may be one face in a classroom of 30, who may have a teacher who

could be so overburdened that he/she may not notice right away if my

girl has a diabetic emergency. Even if the teacher would be able to

notice an emergency in the classroom, who would be able to treat my

daughter, or any child with a chronic illness, properly? I know for

sure that the office staff and the teachers have not been trained in

diabetes care.

I can guarantee you that many parents of kids with chronic

illnesses will probably not send our kids to school as often, if

there is not a nurse on campus. That means more lost revenue for the

school district. Also, if one of our kids gets poor or improper

treatment because there is not a properly trained nurse on campus,

then there will be lawsuits. That could mean more of a financial

strain on the district.

Cutting our teachers, in essence, abandons the well-being of our

kids and jeopardizes the quality of their education. In addition to

that, cutting the support staff, such as school nurses, puts our kids

in danger and could lead to even further financial drain to the

school district.

LOIS IVANOFF

Huntington Beach