Properly Subversive/Sherman R. Frederick
At the risk of sounding like more of a Luddite than I really am, may I please push back (just a little) on the trend that seeks to make voting easy as pie – minimum effort, little sacrifice, and no sense of duty required.
Some want a system in which you don’t even have to leave the light of your own cell phone to vote. They want you registered to vote automatically when you do something unrelated like, say, buy a dozen donuts or get a driver’s license. Also, they want to send a live ballot by mail to you, requested or not.
It’s a misguided path, really.
There’s a big push now to allow people to register to vote online. Advocates of this fantasize about a world in which people vote by text because it cuts down on paperwork and reduces face-to-face contact. They’d like to expand early voting to months ahead of Election Day. And, if they had their way, they’d like election officials everywhere to “stop being so nosy” about why voters request an absentee ballot. They want rules eliminated that require a reason for asking for an absentee ballot.
They envision “portable” registration, which means if you register in one state and move to another, you should be automatically registered in your new state.
Look, don’t get me wrong, I want everyone who is eligible to vote. But these ideas not only raise significant election integrity issues and state rights concerns, they endorse the idea that American voters ought not have to lift a finger to participate in democracy.
News flash, folks: Our system of government requires effort.
Making the time to trundle down to your local polling place, signing your “John Hancock” in front of an election official and presenting ID, isn’t oppressive. Saying that those simple steps disenfranchise minority voters is an awful thing to say because Black and brown people love this country as much as white people. They will lift more than a finger to vote, I promise you that.
All I’m saying is good American-style government requires motivation and effort. If I were king, everyone able would vote in person on Election Day.
(Of course, if I were king, we’d be in England.)
ONE NICE BRIDGE
The ancient Dipsea Trail is a treasure. The Miwok liked it from the dawn of Marin time. But now comes the modern concept of “improving” the trail by replacing a couple of wooden planks that have spanned the Redwood Creek for decades with a bridge that will cost – wait for it – $2 million. That’s gotta be some bridge. Does it emit soothing salmon spawning sounds? Issue lucky charms to all who pass?
This seems exorbitant, even by Marin standards.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Downtown San Rafael has so much potential. There are many vacant storefronts, the restaurant and bar scene is not really there, and it doesn’t have the charm of many nearby towns. Do you think it’ll ever pick up?” – A reader on Reddit
ICYMI
In case you missed it …
– The highest concentrations of electric vehicle owners can be found in wealthy areas such as Marin County, Silicon Valley and the Oakland Hills. (Did the SFChron really need to do an “analysis” to find that out?)
– Which public school kids get the most qualified teachers? Rich schools. Latest state stats show that Mill Valley Elementary features 9 out of 10 teachers who are fully credentialed. Oakland Unified – less than 6 out of 10.
– The Blue Angels return to our skies Oct. 7-9 for the 41st annual Fleet Week Air Show. Always a treat hearing the sound of freedom roar. On a more local note, Marin resident Gregory Colyer will perform stunts in his 1940s-era T-33 jet trainer.
– The University of California admitted 125,600 freshmen this year — a 5% drop from 2021. The San Jose Mercury News reports that the “decrease came entirely among the high-paying out-of-state and international students that UC has been widely criticized for favoring in recent years at the expense of home-grown applicants.”
– There is a 20-point equity gap in the Cal State system’s graduation rate for Black students as opposed to white and asian students. Twenty points? What’s going on?
– In the ever-thickening file labeled “Is This Racist?” comes the Minneapolis Public Schools who have signed a union contract that mandates that if downsizing ever happens, white teachers must be fired first.
ONE MORE THING
– I am experimenting with how many apples I need to eat each day to keep everyone away, no matter their profession.
– I duck my head while driving into underground garages. Just in case you’re wondering what kind of superior intellect I’ve passed down to my kids.
– Everyone’s an atheist until they clog the toilet in another person’s house.
– I hate it when people try to act all intelligent and talk about Mozart when they have never even seen one of his paintings.
– My neighbor just received a huge water bill and can’t afford to pay it. So, I sent him a “Get Well Soon” card.
My apologies to grandmothers everywhere. Thanks for reading. Support your community newspaper, and until next week, avoid soreheads, laugh a little and always – always! – question authority.
(“Properly Subversive” is commentary written by Sherman R. Frederick for Marinscope Community Newspapers, the “mother ship” of the Novato Advance, San Rafael News-Pointer, Mill Valley Herald, Ross Valley Reporter, Twin City Times and the Sausalito Marin Scope. Mr. Frederick is an award-winning journalist and co-founder of Battle Born Media, a news organization dedicated to the preservation of community newspapers. You can reach him by email at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)
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