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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
December 24, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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December 24, 2020
 
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‘ LETTERS, continued from page A-4 How we count votes Editor, the Journal, Back last summer when I was a political candidate, I got an email invitation from the Mason County Election Department of the Auditor’s Office inviting me to watch a test of its ballot tallying machines. A Wash- ington Secretary of State representa- tive and the Mason County auditor were there to check out the voting machines’ counting accuracy. Well, I attended and watched the test. For the test, there were approxi- mately 800 marked-up primary elec- tion test ballots. These test ballots were all hand-counted, several times, to ensure an accurate count. Then when the auditor and state represen- tative were watching, the test ballots were run through the ballot counting machine. A vote tally printout of the test ballots was handed to the Secre- tary of State representative and then the Mason County auditor started reading out loud from the hand-count tally every single ballot initiative and candidate vote totals. This verifica- tion process was slow and methodi- cal. The computer tally matched the hand-count tally and the test was complete and successful. The audi- tor and state representative signed a bunch of papers and essentially the test was done. The state representa- tive asked me if I wanted to sign a document that I had watched the test. I said, “Sure,” and then signed the paper. Well now I had a ton of questions. A real nice lady at the election office started answering all of my ques- tions. Yes, tests like this one are done before every state and federal elec- tion in all of Washington’s 39coun- ties. The ballots are'sent out 18 to days before an election. Yes,.there are ballots returned because the voters moved, died, etc., and the voter regis- tration information has not been up- dated. Yes, the voter’s signatures are checked against the voter registration card or legal Washington state IDs like a driver’s license signature. Yes, each county has a stand-alone com- puter and these computers are not attached to anything; no internet con- nections. Only the computer knows the vote tally numbers. No one can access the vote county computer data. All of the secret codes and pass- words have been sent to the counties by the Secretary of State’s Office and on election night those codes and passwords are used to upload the county results to the main state elec- tion computer. Now I know why the vote data right after the polls close is posted. The day after the election, the Auditor’s Office will take a pile of official ballots, do an accurate hand count and then take the pile of bal- lots and run those through the tally machine and computer to verify the accuracy of the voting machines, this is called a random audit. Bottom line is that I am a very firm believer in the integrity and transparency of the voting process in our state. So I have a real hard time putting up with people who say that our election votingprocess is illegal and rife with fraud. It is not true. I ask you to please continue to keep your voter registration informa- tion updated. This will help the vot- Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020 Shelton-Mason County Journal Page A—5 Journal Letter Policy The Journal encourages original letters to the editOr of local interest. Diverse and varied opinions are welcomed. We will not publish letters that are deemed libelous or scurrilous in nature. All letters must be signed and include the writer’s name, address and daytime phone number, which will be used for verification purposes only. All letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. To submit a letter, email editor@masoncounty.com, drop it off at 227 W. Cota St., or mail it to PD. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. ing process go more smoothly. And yes, please vote in every election. Thanks. To all of you readers — consider this one truthful fact. “Culp Lost The State of Washington Won.” Mer- ry Christmas, Washingtonians! Earl W. Burt Bremerton Referendum, initiative defined Editor, the Journal, Re: Definition of Referendum vs. Initiative. You —— everybody — needs to know the difference between a refer— endum on bills passed by our state Legislature and our governor, and an initiative bill sponsored by Wash- ington state voters. , A referendum is an attempt by citizens to say “no” to a law passed by the state Legislature and signed by the state governor. It requires thousands of signatures signed by citizens of the state to be placed on a statewide ballot for a vote of all vot- ers of the state to make their voices heard either for or against the bill already signed into state law. An initiative requires many more signatures to express the will of the citizens for a law important to them which they want all voters to consid— er and vote for or against. The Sec- retary of State website has a more detailed explanation at https://www. sos.wa.gov/elections/initiatives/refer- enda.aspx?y=2020. Referendum 90 received enough signatures for everyone to vote on. Perhaps everyone wasn’t aware that Planned Parenthood as well as the LGBTQ lobby supported the sex- education bill. Both the original SB 5395 and again R—90 has become law for all school-age children now. There is an I-1109 in the works. However, as you can see by the above link, many more signatures are needed by the end of December. See link for I-1109: https://www.sos. wa.gov/_assets/elections/initiatives/ finaltext_1824.pdf. Click link to see LGBTQ en- dorsement of SB5395/R-90: https://Www.thestranger.com/ news/2020/10/14/47141697/the- strangers—endorsements-for—the- november-2020~general-election. Diane Eaton Shelton Letter to Gov. lnslee Editor, the Journal, I believe you to be an honorable man. I believe you have done the best of your ability to keep people from dying in your state. I also believe you have not been told or just do not know what it is that causes a virus to seek out one person over another. All viruses work in a similar way. They are attracted to a vibrational frequency that will pull them to someone. The COVID-19 virus is 5.5 to 14.5 hertz. This means that it will be attracted to the lowest Vibrations around. It will be attracted to fear, frustration, insecurity, anger and rage. Science has studied emotions and these emotions range between 100 and 150 hertz. When you place us in lockdown, you create these emo- tions within the people of this state. When the lockdown is released, the virus has notdied just went into hiding. The cases of COVID will sky- rocket and this will happen each time you do this, causing an escalation of cases and more deaths each time you do this. This virus was discovered in the 19303. Science has been studying it since 1965; it has not gone away. You are expecting that a vaccination will save you; sorry. Each and every time they think they have an answer to this virus it mutates and comes back worse. Just think about it like the flu virus. You get a flu shot each year. Every few years they have to improve it. This is what we can expect from the pharmaceutical companies to be enslaved to them forever. If we had just let this virus take its natural course, the deaths might be at its peak. You put us in lockdown over ' and over again. The virus will keep on killing. There is another way. Let nature takes its course and that will save lives. Add something to it to create the opposite emotional effect: love and hope 500 hertz; joy and happiness 540 hertz; and gratitude 600 hertz. These emotions have the possibility of pushing the virus away. With a campaign to create those emotions. instead of the ones to stay 6 feet away and wear a mask, you just might con- trol the number of dead. Ted Kyllenon Shelton ’Put climate crisis on Legislature’s 2021agenda Editor, the Journal, It is imperative that the Washing- ton Legislature take action this ses— sion to address the climate crisis. We must not wait — we are already feel- ing the effects to our health, economy, and environment and must step up our commitment to making green changes now. Our state is facing mul- tiple challenges and we must have the revenue to address them. Our state a Happy & Healthy Holiday-Se tax system is one of the worst in the nation and we have to change that so those who have more money pay a greater share. It won’t hurt them, but poor and working class people are hurt by high sales, property and small business taxes every day. The pandemic has make the ap- palling lack of affordable housing even worse. Both Washingto'ns must make billions available for green af- fordable housing, which will increase security, good jobs, help our environ- ment and complement connected pub- lic transportation. Please call on your legislators to take actions to enhance our environ- ment, listen to Indigenous people and respect tribal laws, make Washington a fairer, greener place where all peo- ple can have high-quality education, health care, housing, employment, public transportation, and parks and trails. To a brighter future. Michael Siptroth Belfair Let’s save noncha i n resta u rants Editor, the Journal, is near the end. Thanks to Patty, Maria and Derek, Mason County nonchain restaurants are in deep trouble. Seems like my faves Spencer Lake Bar & Grill, Sisters, Blondie’s and others are near the end. Bleeding red ink on the finan- cials and no help in sight, they are trying to survive on a few takeout meals each day. Chains and fast food restaurants have their risk spread over many states and normally have drive-thru services so they are not as deep in the red ink. When are Wash- ington state or the feds going to do something to keep our neighborhood eateries going? The feds surely can- not be trusted to be much help so it is up to us locals to get it done. Waiting for May or June or July to have our severe state restrictions lifted will be far too late. Does Mason County have funds or grants to help the in- dependents get by? If_ Washington state and Mason County are going to keep them closed, I strongly believe they should finance them through the pandemic. I want them here at the end of it all, not just the national chains. Get it done. Bill Zeigler Shelton What are we watching? Editor, the Journal, Two centuries of peaceful transfer of power gone. The world watches in horror as the cult of a serial rapist and liar divides America. Dozens of lawsuits dismissed with prejudice. This is a unique time in this na- tion. Stand up for your fellow citizens. Let’s make America great after the most shameful administration, the most corrupt in our history. Gregory Dallum Grapeview