Dear Editor:
Your vote, your voice. Make it heard! The November election is rapidly approaching. Voting is your right and your duty but first you must register. If you are not yet registered to vote the deadline to register online is October 19th. To register online go to RegisterToVote.ca.gov. The League of Women Voters of Ventura County recommends that all registered voters check their registration status online at VoterStatus.sos.ca.gov. You will want to be sure that your address is current since ballots will be mailed to you, and to select your language preference. Prepare now to make sure your vote is counted!
Kathy Morgan Ventura
Voting has never been easier. Voting from home is safe, easy and convenient.
Once you receive your official ballot in the mail in early October, you can return it by the US Postal Service mail – postage is prepaid. It must be postmarked by Nov 3 and received by Nov 20 (in California) for your vote to be counted. We recommend you vote as early as possible after receiving your ballot.
An alternative to mailing your ballot is using one of the 34 Ballot Drop Boxes that are located throughout the county and will be open from Oct. 6 until Election Day, Nov. 3 at 8 pm. Ballot Drop Box locations can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/y45ol4mo.
Finally, you can take your ballot to any of the 47 in-person Vote Centers to drop it off or request a replacement for a spoiled ballot. The Vote Centers will be open Sat. Oct 31, Sun., Nov 1, and Mon. Nov 2 from 10 am-6 pm and Tuesday, November 3 from 7 am-8 pm. Vote Center locations can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/y5wd2ykv.
Be sure to check your registration status ([email protected]) and sign up to track your ballot (WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov).
The League of Women Voters of Ventura County will host virtual candidate forums (lwvventuracounty.org) – be an informed voter and learn about the candidates and issues.
Drop Box locations:
https://recorder.countyofventura.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/List-of-Drop-Off-Locations.pdf
Vote Center locations:
https://recorder.countyofventura.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IPVL-Insert-FINAL-1.pdf
Betsy Patterson, President
League of Women Voters of Ventura County
Dear Mr. Brown,
Defund: A term that has taken on new meaning these days, gets twisted by those who wish to argue in bad faith to leave a broken system unchanged. But, defunding is about the reallocation of funding, taking duties away from law enforcement that would better be handled by mental health specialists or unarmed community liaisons. It means transforming our legal system to break the cycle of violence, oppression and despair created centuries ago by our nation’s racist landowners who hired armed men to protect their property and themselves from the perceived violence of people of color and the poor. It’s about acting on the persistent demand to shift our social, political and economic paradigms to generate lasting peace, prosperity, educational excellence and justice in all our communities. Let’s replace much of our police force with solutions that actually reduce and prevent crime.
In California we’ve made a step in changing laws by dismantling our old cash bail system which penalized the poor. Let’s also stop police from arming themselves as if they are going to war with the citizens who pay their salaries, police unions from getting too powerful and city councils from indiscriminately throwing money at police departments. Should a police department really be able to demand double the amount of any other department in a city’s budget, and get it?
What we fund is what we tolerate – racism, exploitation, injustice! Let’s work together to find other means of keeping our communities safe.
Sincerely,
Angelo Haynes Police Oversight Working Group
The only motive that can keep politics pure is the motive of doing good for one’s country and its people.
~ Author unknown
