LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Infighting spurs voter apathy

7/4/2014

With all the political infighting and cronyism, is it any wonder there is voter apathy (“Husted poised to repair local election system; Secretary of State says board in Lucas County still not settled,” June 27)?

The Lucas County Board of Elections, which is supposed to be impartial, continues to defy Secretary of State Jon Husted and tries to stack the deck. Do local political leaders believe voters are naive enough to follow?

Enough with the petty bickering. Mr. Husted should clear out the entire board and install some real leaders.

TERRY SEEMAN

Maumee

 

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Voting in Ohio still not that rosy

Secretary of State Husted likes to say that it’s easy to vote in Ohio (“Early voting: Husted sets new uniform hours; In-person schedule follows court loss,” June 18). In part, he is correct, because we have opportunities that voters in other states do not. However, many of these conveniences exist despite the policies pushed by Mr. Husted and his Republican allies in the General Assembly.

Voting has become more difficult in Ohio over the past year. Voters have a week less of early voting. Working Ohioans no longer have evening early-voting hours that make sense for them. It’s harder for voters to get a referendum or initiative on the ballot.

If it is easier to vote in Ohio than elsewhere, it’s only because officeholders weren’t able completely to roll back the accomplishments of their predecessors — and because of the intervention of federal courts.

If Secretary Husted is so proud of Ohio’s expansive ballot access, why is he working so hard to reduce it? That’s the question voters deserve an answer to this fall. Ohio deserves a secretary of state who doesn’t just talk about how easy voting is, but works to make it happen.

BARBARA BAUMGARTNER

Rossford

Evangelists offer informed choice

In response to Dr. S. Amjad Hussain’s June 23 op-ed column, “Some evangelists miss the point that we are all one”: The essence of freedom of religion means that everyone should be free to believe what he or she chooses. But you cannot make an informed choice unless you hear what others believe.

Evangelists, Christian or otherwise, try to share what they believe so that others can make an informed choice. And many evangelists believe they have the truth that will make a difference for those who believe it. Who is Dr. Hussain to say they are wrong?

Christians feel compelled to share their truth of Christianity with others because they care about their fellow man, not because they are “on celestial high horses,” as Dr. Hussain writes.

DEB NEUENSCHWANDER

Pettisville, Ohio

Cowboy analogy spiritually apt

Dr. Hussain’s cowboy analogy is a beautiful way to say that we are looking for much the same thing in life and have different tools for getting there, but each of us ends up in the same place.

Dr. Hussain often has a perspective that is not Christian or Muslim, but human.

JOE O’LEARY

Whitehouse