With just one week before the next election, more opposition to Shasta County’s Measure B has surfaced. The League of Women Voters of the Redding Area – as well as the League of Women Voters of California – have come out against the idea, stating it would undermine the way that 85 per cent of local voters cast their ballots, which is by mail. Both groups pointed out that Measure B would require voting to take place in person on a single day. Also, only the infirmed, UC Citizens living overseas, and military personnel would be able to vote absentee in the future. Last week, the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union – the ACLU– announced that it also opposes the initiative. Supporters of Measure B say it would offer a “sweeping cleanup” to our current voting system and will protect against fraud. They also claim that machine counts can be changed with a ballpoint pen within seconds.
-John Oertl