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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us December 6, 2004 Disenfranchised voter speaks out The week after the election I received from the Jackson County Board of Elections a letter, a copy of my signed ballot envelope, and a copy of my original registration signature form dated 1995. The letter stated that my vote was not counted because the two signatures mentioned above did not look like they were from the same person. Well, I do not know whether to pass this off with humor, be outraged or what. I do know that my vote was not counted, so I guess I am one of the disenfranchised voters of this last presidential election in 2004. I suppose over nine years someone's signature can change. Signatures can vary especially if you sign them in different places or in different positions. These two did not look suspiciously different I would say, only a slight variation. I am wondering why they did not contact me at the 2000 election? Have election procedures changed that much and given way to suspicion? Was this a special election? (They all are.) Has the world changed so much that a voter's signature on a mail-in ballot is suspect enough so that it is not counted? I would have had to appear in Medford (I could not in the limited time allotted) and re-sign the ballot under the scrutiny of someone from the election board to be considered a valid voter in Jackson County and have my vote counted. If it is that easy to not count a vote, maybe the system should change and use a pin number or something like that. Hey, the more I write this the more I am feeling miffed about it. I guess that my one little vote would not matter now when all is said and done, but one vote is all I have and it has been taken away from me, almost in a capricious sense. I mean is the election board wasting time to do this and are they experts in handwriting analysis? It is my signature and it is me who signed both times. I will not divulge the party I voted for, but you can imagine that there was huge concern from the opposing party to resort to this. Tell me someone, please, if it is no big deal or should I let it go? What should I do, if anything? Are we lucky to have this kind of political/election process or not? In this case, should I be happy that my vote was taken away due to the fact that my signature appeared to look a little different after nine years? I do not know what to say for the best! Stephen Mellini Jackson County Investigate U.S. voting irregularities I find it very intersting that while the failed Ukrainian election is all over the news here in America, our own failed election doesn't even make the news in brief. As of Tuesday, November 23, 2004 the Government Accountability Office has begun a nationwide investigation into the serious voting irregularities that occurred in our own election. But strangely enough, there is almost no media coverage of this story. In fact, it seems that the only place that anyone can get information on this topic is from various internet sites, like Black Box Voting and Votergate, that have determined to not let this atrocity go unanswered. As a member of the public, I call on the Ashland Daily Tidings to help bring awareness to this crisis and avoid buying into the distraction. We only have a short time to challange the results of this election. Please give people the information they need to help us all get to the bottom of this mess. How can this government even talk about spreading democracy when the current administration seems to care so little for it. Or perhaps this is the democracy they are talking about. Bush once said that he did not like dictatorships, unless he was in charge. Are we scared yet? Savarino Parisi Ashland Portland police punished well It's good to hear that the city of Portland is being forced to pay $300,000 to settle excessive force claims - as documented on videotape - to anti-war protesters. It might teach police that their job is to control rioting, not to initiate it. It will be even better to hear that the officials responsible for these violent "mistakes" and attacking innocent people, are actually punished, not promoted. Isaac Walker Ashland Thanksgiving "Thanks" I, and so many others, thank the folks who got the Thanksgiving free dinner going in the Ashland National Guard Armory. Thanks to the Armory, those who gave all that good food, those who cooked it, all those who took their time on Thanksgiving to help serve, and those who cleaned it all up too. All I can say is I am grateful, and I thank you all. A.H. 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