Your Voice Party shouldn’t matter
I fully agree with the logic and fairness of Kurt Kuban’s column (“Should We Look at the Way We Do Elections?”) on the recent election. I wanted to vote for Robert Nix as Supervisor. I spoke to him in the parking lot before I voted. I thanked him for his recent work on the roads and said I would vote for him on the ballot. I did use my vote in support of the operating millage renewal. I went to vote for Mr. Nix on the ballot and was blocked by the constraints of the present election and ballot rules. My vote and support for him was not allowed and never counted. Thank you for this important article. Democracy depends on citizens participating in the process. That process includes the opportunity to vote for all candidates on the ballot, regardless of party. David Maloney I couldn’t agree more with your editorial in the August issue: Northville Township needs non-partisan local elections so that voters from both parties can always make their voices heard. I don’t see how party affiliation is relevant to how local officials deal with local issues. Nor is how they feel about Right to Life, which Mark Abbo, Roger Lundberg and Jason Rhines used as a wedge issue. While we’re at it, let’s urge our representatives in Lansing to adopt the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact and end the electoral college’s ability to circumvent the votes of a majority of U.S. citizens. Keith Langham
Millage Committee did great job
I enjoyed reading the article “A Real Nail Biter” in the August edition. I think it failed to include one important part of the election: the work of the Citizens for Northville Township 2020 Millage Committee, of which I was the chairperson. The committee was made up of over 20 Northville residents who, in spite of Covid limitations, were able to achieve the following: - Put out (and cleaned up) more than 130 yard signs. - Distributed (safely) over 1,000 pieces of voter information cards to Northville homes. - Collected funds to mail information cards to over 7,000 addresses on election day and greeted voters on their way to the polls. For all of their efforts, they were rewarded by an overwhelming show of support. A special thanks needs to go to Jim Tesin who was the treasurer for the committee. It was truly a community effort and we want to thank the citizens of Northville Township for their support. Jim Petrie
SOUND OFF 4 The ‘Ville
Column was misleading
Kurt Kuban’s discussion of absentee ballots in his August column was intentionally misleading. President Trump has made a difference in his discussions between absentee ballots and mail-in ballots. Absentee ballots are first requested on an application, which contains the requestor’s signature and sufficient information to vet the requester and insure that person is registered and the address matches the clerk’s records. The ballot contains a bar code, and the envelope with the return ballot contains the voter’s signature. Mail-in ballots are often randomly mailed, and may not even be signed when returned. Like putting a stack on a kiosk in a mall. No ballot integrity in this method. If the process has all the elements of integrity that are contained in the absentee description, then OK, but if not, there is the possibility of fraud. With the exception of the Secretary of State’s blind mailing of applications, Michigan passes the integrity test and Trump would approve. Richard Bond In the August issue, editor Kurt Kuban seemed confused. He made it sound like absentee ballots and mail-in ballots are the same thing. They are not. Absentee ballots are requested by the voter. Mail-in ballots are not. President Trump approves absentee ballots, but is against mail in ballots. He would have had no problem with the 8,284 absentee ballots cast in our town in the last election. Teresa Sleiman Just clarifying that when President Trump refers to potential election fraud by mailing ballots, he is not referring to absentee ballots, which are checked and verified against registered voter records by the clerks’ office. This is quite different from the mail in voting being proposed. You may want to follow up on this in your next “A View From The ‘Ville.” Ray Ferrer I take issue in Editor Kurt Kuban’s column with the statement, “President Trump says that people mailing in their ballots is a plot…” The President supports absentee voting; he votes absentee himself. He opposes local and state officials mass mailing ballots using potentially inaccurate voter data. The difference is huge. Absentee voting is initiated by the registered voter, at their request, their identity having been verified. Public officials mass mailing ballots without individual voter request is fraught with issues, like verification of identity. I would hope you and local publishers would be more careful with the facts. We have enough false information at the national level. Bert Nisbet
Please submit your letters by emailing Editor Kurt Kuban at kurtkuban@gmail.com. Letters must be 150 words or less. We reserve the right to edit all letters.
