Opinion: O.C. supervisors’ shameful vote to reject cheaper and more accessible elections

To the editor: It’s disgraceful that the all-Republican Orange County Board of Supervisors refused to adopt the proposed reforms of to Voter Choice Act aimed at reducing the cost of elections while increasing voter participation. (“Rejecting proposals that make it easier for people to vote is anti-democratic,” editorial, July 4)

Ballots these days are more and more complex, and citizens deserve to have enough time to read, digest and make informed decisions rather than being forced to go to a specific location to exercise their civic responsibility.

Many people, including myself, use the permanent vote-by-mail option. Sending all voters a ballot that they could mail in or drop off at stations located throughout the county, and creating centralized voting stations that any citizen could use, not only makes sense, but it also saves money.

The only rationale for refusing to adopt this measure is to decrease voting participation, particularly among the poor and minority populations. Shameful.

Michael B. Natelson, Newport Beach

..

To the editor: Ambitious and consummate politician Todd Spitzer, recently known for voting against porta potties and for handcuffing an annoying proselytizer at a local restaurant, has given an unseemly Independence Day gift to the Orange County Republican Party.

Spitzer recently moved to reject a reform proposal that would have saved millions of taxpayer dollars while making it easier for people to vote. Without discussion, Spitzer received the quiet and prompt acquiescence of the rest of our all-Republican Board of Supervisors. Abraham Lincoln would not be proud.

President Trump has ordered his own Advisory Commission on Election Integrity to unearth his trumped-up claim of rampant voter fraud across America during the last election. By shamelessly embracing this same tawdry script, Spitzer has joined with the ugly, undemocratic and hypocritical forces that have worked for over a century to limit the vote of ordinary Americans in this nation.

June Maguire, Mission Viejo

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook