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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