Time to standardize election laws
Isn’t it time to institute a national federal election law change? Currently each state sets its own rules regarding when ballots have to be received, when early ballot counting can begin, what ID is needed, number and location of polling places, and in the cases of Maine and Georgia the plurality winner in not necessarily the ultimate winner. The result is chaos and as this election shows, it takes days or even weeks to determine the actual winner. Wouldn’t the country be better off if there was one standard that applied to all 50 states? There could also be a new designated federal employee such as a certified poll worker. It could be a civil service position. This law would only apply to federal elections. The states could still set their own rules for statewide and local elections.
Martin Greene
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East side
Masks are not being worn properly
Please can we stop saying, “We’ll never know for sure where we were infected … we wore masks, socially distanced and practiced good hygiene.” After spending a lot of time with many different people I can tell you all that you probably don’t wear a mask properly, even though you are sure that you do, and even if you do it doesn’t provide you with protection unless it is a N95 mask. Along with this we don’t correct each other for not wearing the mask improperly. “Live and let die?”
Matthew Boo
Green Valley
Sharpie pens write ironic twist
Oh the irony!
GOP attorneys filed a lawsuit about the use of Sharpies to mark election ballots. Imagine the courts, all the way up through the Supreme Court, tossing out all ballots marked with a Sharpie. Then imagine the courts ruling all of Trump’s many executive orders signed with a sharpie declared invalid.
Dale Secord
South side
The flight of common sense, decency
The flight of common sense: President Trump asserts, without evidence, that the media and polls conspired to inflate the likelihood that Joe Biden would win, thereby suppressing those who would have voted for him, but for their belief that all was lost before the voting even began. In my experience, Trump supporters are proud and loud, confident and often confrontational; if they believed that Biden was favored, they not only would not have been cowed, they would have redoubled all efforts to get their voters to the polls.
The flight of common decency: In the case of Bush v. Gore, the disparity in the Florida vote count was 327 votes. Joe Biden is ahead of President Trump by thousands of votes in each state which is “too close to call.” While Al Gore disagreed with the decision of the Supreme Court he graciously conceded and stepped aside. No one called for blood in the streets, for beheadings; the threat of armed resistance to a legitimate outcome was unheard of.
Rita Pollak
Oro Valley
Optimistic election results
Election results right now: Biden will be president, Pelosi lost some seats to GOP but remains in charge, McConnell will still be in charge of the senate. Neither side will be in complete control. Biden vowed to work with both sides of the aisle. There are enough moderates on both sides that, I believe, will work with Biden: which makes me optimistic. I believe this is about the best solution in the current political climate. Both sides must step forward and calm down their more radical elements.
Paul Featherston
North side
More abuse
from Trump
I guess it was inevitable — with Joe Biden closing in on victory, the Trump response is to claim, without proof, that the election was fraudulent, and to throw lawsuits at it in an effort to subvert it.
I see two reasons for this now. The first is that Trump is a cornered animal desperate to avoid losing and possible prosecution for his misdeeds in office. But I realize there’s another angle — like an abusive spouse who’s victim has finally gotten free from him, Trump wants to punish the nation for rejecting him. So it looks like the next few months are going to be as painful and traumatic for this country as Trump can make them.
Marian Weaver
Sierra Vista
Billions spent on 2020 elections
Since Watergate in 1974, we have heard about clean elections and control of outrageous spending for candidates. In Arizona, Mark Kelly spent $90 million on a Senate seat that pays $174,000 a year. Think of all the poor schools, terrible roads or homeless that could have been greatly helped with that $90 million spent on them. No wonder so many Americans are disenchanted with our political system.
Frank Quiros
Downtown
Expect the tunes
to change on Jan. 20
I’m an independent with a lot of friends. My GOP friends tell me the economy is making a great comeback and that the pandemic and the national debt are nothing to worry about. But after Jan. 20, I’m guessing they’ll be telling me the economy, the pandemic and the national debt are at their all- time worst.
On the other hand, my Democrat friends are telling me that next year will bring affordable health care, free college and a lessening of income inequality. But after Jan. 20, I’m guessing they’ll be telling me the Republicans are back to being the party of no.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. But at least Biden won’t be sending out tweets at 3 in the morning, he hasn’t figured out the darn thing yet.
Walter Mann
Marana
Thank you brave poll workers
Appreciation of our diligent poll workers needs to be expressed loud and clear. In spite of a record number of mail-in ballots, which required more involved processing, they have persisted in spite of the long hours, the hardships placed on their families, some workers making the ultimate sacrifice of their lives to COVID-19 through their work exposure. Our hearts go out to them and their families, for unrelenting efforts to produce the fair, legitimate elections that Arizonans and all Americans deserve.
At last, we have a decent winner, winner, winner, and inevitably, a loser, loser, loser! You’re fired!
James Torrey
West side
We need effective school leadership programs
Great educational leaders at the site level have a vision as to what they want their schools to be and must be able to get voluntary support from their staffs to accomplish their vision. Too often site level administrators attempt to force and/or command that their staffs buy into their vision — the biggest mistake they make.
School districts need to have a true strategic plan that drives what the district wants to accomplish, then hire leaders with visions that fit within the district’s strategic plan. Within a district’s strategic plan should be data-driven methods to get, maintain and improve school leadership training on a continuous basis.
While states such as Arizona may have “a fragmented system for developing principals” that some have pointed out, there is no reason why school districts need to settle for such fragmented systems or wait for Arizona to develop such programs.
Craig Whaley
Northwest side