To the Editor:
A recent writer urged readers to contact state representatives to demand they “restore election integrity” and close Republican primaries.
The writer apparently did not follow the recent action by the Florida legislature which passed SB 90 placing further restrictions on mail-in voting in a supposed effort to improve election security.
The writer apparently also does not know that in the state of Florida Republican, Democratic, and all other party primaries are closed in that only registered members of a party may participate in those elections leaving those with no party affiliation without a voice in the primaries. The recently passed election bill is being contested by multiple groups in the courts because of the likelihood it will decrease the ability of elderly and low-income voters in participate in elections. With absolutely no evidence indicating any voting irregularities or violations in the 2020 elections in Florida, the lack of a problem did not deter our elected representatives from making these ill-advised changes to the processes put in place by our own county election officials.
Additionally, the writer cited information from a newspaper called The Epoch Times. This publication makes no attempt to conceal its right-leaning bias and is also considered low in reliability according to the panel of experts who rank news sources for bias and reliability. Check out https://www.adfontesmedia.com/interactive-media-bias-chart/ to see how your favorite news sources rank in reliability and bias. Truly informed citizens should seek out information sources that are unbiased, or at the least read and/or view sources from both sides of the political spectrum. The League of Women Voters of The Villages/Tri-County Area offers informative, non-partisan presentations to area groups on topics such as The News: Separating Fact from Fiction and Election Integrity. Check out lwvtrifl.org for more information.
Gail Formanack, co-president
League of Women Voters-The Villages/Tri-County Area
Village of Hemingway