California's secretary of state, Dr. Shirley Weber, explains in detail why the California elections are safe
By ONME Newswire
In this last election episode of News Too Real, show host, Julia Dudley Najieb discusses the misleading headlines regarding the 105,000+ ballots challenged this past June primary election in California. Voters can easily be misled by a narrative in a headline that can be lacking other pertinent information.
California's secretary of state, Dr. Shirley N. Weber, explains in detail why the 105,000+ votes not counted in June are not by the mistake of the voter registrar's office; voters have to pay closer attention to signatures on the outside envelopes, and dates of when the ballot is dropped in a US postal mailbox.
California voters, poll workers and the vote count are safe
In an Ethnic Media Services news briefing Friday, experts on the elections explained the close watch this year to ensure the safety of poll workers, the voters, and the count.
On the contrary to the misleading headlines appearing throughout California this past week, suggesting that "California did not count 105,000 votes in the June primary," according to Dr. Weber, a majority of the 105,000 uncounted, challenged ballots not counted had to do with late arrivals to the voter registrar's office: California disqualified 1.6% of its vote-by-mail ballots, or 105,818. Of those, 70,000 were late.
Another percentage of voters forgot to sign the envelope; voters with missing signatures are called right away, giving them an opportunity to sign the envelope, so that the vote will be counted.
As far as late arrivals, perhaps some voters waited until the last day to drop their ballots into the US postal mail service, in which the postmark may not reflect until the next day, as Dr. Weber reiterated. However, California implemented Voter's Choice Act in multiple counties throughout California, giving voters more access and flexibility to vote in enough time.
Established by Senate Bill 450 (2016), the California Voter's Choice Act (VCA) modernizes elections in California by allowing counties to conduct elections under a model which provides greater flexibility and convenience for voters. This election model allows voters to choose how, when, and where to cast their ballot by:
•Mailing every voter a ballot
•Expanding in-person early voting
•Allowing voters to cast a ballot at any vote center within their county
•Providing secure ballot drop off locations throughout the county
Also, every active, registered voter in participating counties is mailed a ballot 28 days before Election Day.
About Dr. Shirely N. Weber
Shirley Nash Weber, Ph.D. was nominated to serve as California Secretary of State by Governor Gavin Newsom on December 22, 2020, and sworn into office on January 29, 2021. She is California’s first Black Secretary of State and only the fifth African American to serve as a state constitutional officer in California’s 170-year history.
Weber was born to sharecroppers in Hope, Arkansas during the segregationist Jim Crow era. Her father, who left Arkansas after being threatened by a lynch mob, did not have the opportunity to vote until he was in his 30s. Her grandfather never voted as custom and law in the South, before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, systemically suppressed voting by Blacks. Although her family moved to California when Weber was three years old, it was her family’s experience in the Jim Crow South that has driven her activism and legislative work. She has fought to secure and expand civil rights for all Californians, including restoring voting rights for individuals who have completed their prison term.
Weber attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she received her BA, MA and PhD by the age of 26. Prior to receiving her doctorate, she became a professor at San Diego State University (SDSU) at the age of 23. She also taught at California State University at Los Angeles (CSULA) and Los Angeles City College before coming to SDSU. She retired from the Department of Africana Studies after 40 years as a faculty member and serving several terms as department chair.
Before her appointment, Secretary Weber served four terms as an Assembly Member representing California's 79th Assembly District, which includes parts of the City of San Diego as well as several cities and communities in the San Diego region. Weber also served as a member and chair of the San Diego Unified School District and has twice served as a California Elector, including chairing the California College of Presidential Electors on December 14, 2020.
From 2019 - 2020, she served as chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), which consists of the state’s African American legislators and has the goal of promoting equal opportunity for California’s African American community. Weber broke records during her tenure by garnering extraordinary support for CLBC’s efforts and its projects.
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Let's explain why the elections are so important - from the Black press's perspective
The upcoming 2022 Midterm elections seems to have candidates fighting on the playground in a sandbox, while the public watches in awe
Between the election ads broadcasting all day long on local TV, the internet, or election ads on billboards and buses, the significance of this year’s midterm election is a quaint storm on the bend, as the grunting elephant in the room is about to roar come this November 8, 2022, the day of the general elections nationwide.
So why is the midterm election such a big deal?
Most people worldwide are familiar with the U.S. presidential elections that happen every four years. But what happens in the midterm elections — so called because they come nearly two years into a president’s term — can have just as big an impact on the direction of the country.
Whoever controls the House or the Senate controls the agenda,” says Gary Nordlinger, a professor of politics at George Washington University.
The majority party determines who leads important congressional committees. A president’s ability to accomplish his agenda has everything to do with whether his party controls the two houses of Congress, says Nordlinger.
Most of the attention of midterm elections is focused on the two chambers of Congress: the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Members of the House are elected for two-year terms. Senators are elected to staggered six-year terms. During this midterm election year, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested.
Thirty-nine state and territorial gubernatorial elections, as well as numerous other state and local elections, will be contested. The results will determine the 118th United States Congress. This will also be the first election affected by the redistricting which occurred after the 2020 census process.
Publishers nationwide have their input regarding this year’s midterm election:
California: By ONME News publisher, Julia Dudley Najieb
The California economy is still burdened with the high cost of living, to now extremely high gas prices—residents do not want another gas tax added this time. Instead, they are looking for ways to better than survive in an inequitable society of “haves” and “have nots.” Unfortunately, the divide is too wide between these two groups, and organizations like YIMBY and the local unions are speaking out about these matters that seem to constantly plague the California economy.
As these are just a few of the problems under the jurisdiction of elected officials, incumbent superintendent of public instruction, Tony Thurmond, will have to wrestle through the weeds to stay seated, as he explains to the public why the school system in California is barely holding up after the COVID-19 pandemic—they are still having a hard time getting these students back to school, especially the minority children.
Meanwhile, several contentious propositions have made their way to the ballot, propositions 26 and 27 has voters picking between an allegiance to the Native American casinos versus the post-benefits of online gambling, where funds could help local municipalities and schools.
And somehow, proposition 29 has made its way back to the election ballot, where kidney dialysis patients are on the brink of losing valuable benefits due to a bureaucratic fight that simply has them in the middle, unfortunately.
That’s why your vote truly matters this election …
Illinois: By Danielle Sanders, Managing Editor – Chicago News Weekly (www.cnwmedia.com)
The United States has seen radical changes as it relates to civil rights and liberties. With new Supreme Court appointments, the nation's highest court now leans conservative. As a result, America has seen abortion bans, more restrictive voting laws, redistricting, and a renewed interest on limiting access to information as it pertains to what is taught in our nation's public schools. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, immigration rights, voting rights and the right to certain individual privacy laws have all been topics of great discourse and debate by the courts and government.
In addition, the continued effects of the COVID 19 pandemic have seen inflation numbers at their highest level in years. Black Americans are disproportionately affected when the country faces economic downturns.
There is much at stake in the November midterm elections with 35 Senate seats and every House of Representative seats up for grabs and Congress combined with 36 governorships and races in individual states. The midterm elections could shape the future of key issues, such as civil rights, voting rights, health care access, and more. The midterm results could also affect the 2024 presidential election, as the midterm elections could be a referendum on the Biden administration, and where Americans see the future of this country.
National/Youth: By Felicia Palmer - SOHH.com
While the artist Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, dominates the news cycle after his latest rant that has been called antisemitic, one of the most important elections of our time is in progress nationwide and most of his 18.4 million IG followers will not be counted. That’s because the hip-hop community is virtually absent from the conversation.
Aside from the ATL rap-activist Killer Mike, who just dropped a song with a brief reference to politics and a borderline NSFW PSA with trans-rapper Saucy Santana, discussions in the Hip-Hop community around the importance and impact of the midterm elections have been muted. This poses an urgent problem for democratic candidates that have historically been supported by the black community and hip-hop artists including Jay-Z, Beyonce and Chance The Rapper.
This year’s midterm elections see tight races across the country. All eyes are on Atlanta – the gubernatorial race between Stacey Abrams(D) and Gov Brian Kemp(R) and the senatorial race between Raphael Warnock(D) and Herschel Walker(R) are favoring Republican or a toss-up.
On the issues, inflation, abortion and crime are key topics nationwide. President Biden has declared that he will federally protect abortion if his Democratic party controls the senate, a major carrot for reproductive rights activists.
Minnesota: By Charles Hallman, Minnesota Spokesman Recorder
We informally spoke to Blacks, seeking if they are going to the polls or not – if they are what issues are important to them. If not, why not.
In no particular order, tired of rising crime, rising gas and food prices and empty promises often came up as Black Minnesotans’ top issues. Unfortunately we also learned that some Blacks see the midterms as a waste of time. Especially among some young Blacks who don’t think anything will ever change, two years after George Floyd.
Others are suffering from “Big Lie” fatigue, the lingering false belief that the 2020 election was fraudulent and the Nov. 8 will be just another ‘stolen’ election. Some candidates running as yet to publicly accept the results, especially if they lose.
A recent Minnesota Public Radio’s “Minnesota Now” midday program, host Cathy Werzer spoke to Duluth NAACP President Classie Dudley and Adair Mosley of the nonprofit Pillsbury United Communities, who produced a free voter guide online and in print. The main subject – what are top issues for Black Minnesotans and how they, if any, differ from other communities.
“There’s hot topic issues and single voter issues that we’ve always had in our community,” noted Dudley.
Mosley added, “Most of our communities are really strongly looking for public safety efforts – increasing access to jobs and employment for Black Minnesotans, supporting reentry efforts.”
“We know the issues. We know the statistics. We know the data. We can see it affecting our community,” surmised Dudley. “But what is the solution? And I haven’t seen a lot of candidates or a lot of rhetoric around that.”
Rising crime, especially in the Twin Cities, poor test scores by Black students in public schools since the COVID shutdown, is a concern as well as an apparent low police presence in Minneapolis neighborhoods. But who’s the blame?
Here in Minnesota, one political party points fingers in campaign mailings, outdoor billboards and broadcast debates at the other political party incumbents. Add to this the flood of negative advertising on television, paid for by outside groups supporting the extreme candidate, using lies and scare tactics as arguments for change, and little in the way of real solutions.
The main offices up for election Nov. 8 include: governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state auditor, U.S. Congress, state senate, state house, county attorney and school board. All judges this year who are incumbents are all running unopposed.
But seemingly this isn’t enough to convince a mad rush to the polls.
“Why should we vote?,” Barbershop Talk live streamed show host Andre Crockett reportedly asked Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, the state’s first Black AG. Said Ellison, whose office brought charges and convictions of the four police officers involved with Floyd’s death, the first time this happened to police officers involved with a Black person’s death, “Somebody is going to be elected and you want whoever that person is to take your feelings, your hopes, your dreams into consideration. You want to elect people and have people elected whose value system reflects your value system.”
This election, just like all previous ones, has consequences good and bad. This election, perhaps more than any other in recent memory, has Democracy on the ballot as much as Democrats keeping the majority in the U.S. House and Senate, and as much as moving forward and away from extreme individuals who seem hellbent on power rather than legislating for the people they claim they want to represent.
According to Minnesota Compass, the Wilder Foundation’s data center broke down Minnesota into three geographic groups: the Twin Cities, the seven-county Twin Cities metro suburbs, and Greater Minnesota. Each group is solidly red or blue and doesn’t look to flip one way or another, no matter the issue.
According to the Minnesota State Demographer office, state residents of color between 2010 and 2018 have increased five times, especially in the metro area. POCs also make up 20 percent of the stare’s population.
If this is true, then one might think Nov. 8 is hugely important for so many reasons. But Crockett is among some Blacks who don’t see voter turnout to be very high.
If not for lack of information – the MSR recently published a four-part “Elections Under Attack” series that examined threats to our elections because of the Big Lie, with special emphasis on Minnesota. There are several POCs on the ballot either as incumbents (Ellison, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar as two examples) whose opponents are running on Big Lie theories or basically spending gobs of money spreading lies and misinformation. There is the GOP candidate for governor who won’t say they will accept the results if they lose. There is a GOP secretary of state candidate who brags that they are “the election denial in chief.”
Non partisan voter guides, such as the one produced by Pillsbury United Communities and are available both online and in print have been available since the August primaries for voters to get information in order to make informed choices before they vote. Early voting and absentee voting also has been available as well.
Voting is important. Maybe more so now than ever.
By Black Iowa News: Bitter politics, and an historic first, mark this 2022 Midterm Election
(Des Moines-Iowa) Iowa could make history during the midterm elections on Nov. 8 by electing the first Black woman, Deidre DeJear (D), as governor of the state and in the country, but DeJear faces a tough opponent in Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds. DeJear is one of five Black gubernatorial candidates in the U.S., which include Stacey Abrams (D) Georgia; Chris Jones (D) Arkansas; Yolanda Flowers (D) Alabama and Wes Moore (D) Maryland. Blacks are also running for lieutenant governor positions: Angela Underwood Jacobs (R) in California and Austin Davis (D) in Pennsylvania.
Bitter politics and negative and racist ads have dominated the Iowa political scene for months. Critics condemned the ads by Reynolds – first for using racist tropes against her opponent, DeJear, the first Black woman in Iowa to be nominated by a major party. Reynolds' latest ad has also drawn condemnation for her comments: "Here in Iowa, we know right from wrong, boys from girls," said Reynolds, who signed a law banning trans girls from participating in girls sports earlier this year. She concludes with: "Here in Iowa, we may get up early, but we're not woke," slamming so-called woke culture.
Tense political battles have erupted in recent years over access to abortions, health care, critical race theory, government spending and police accountability. Voters will cast their ballots on Nov. 8 amid increased Republican-led voter restrictions:
Iowa slashed access to early voting from 29 days to 20.
Iowa implemented a voter ID law.
Polls will close at 8 p.m. instead of 9 p.m.
To count, ballots must arrive by 8 p.m. on Election Day, instead of the following Monday.
County auditors can't send out absentee ballot request forms; voters must first request it.
Stricter rules surround who can return absentee ballots.
Election officials also face increased sanctions for election misconduct.
Democrats have decried the changes as voter suppression, while Republicans have praised the changes as strengthening election integrity.
Embittered former President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Iowa on Nov. 3, to stump for Reynolds and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. The last few days leading up to the election are sure to be wild.
By publisher, Rina Risper:
The New Citizens Press: About the Michigan gubernatorial race - Democratic incumbent, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Republican challenger, Tudor Dixon – striking resemblance but total opposites
LANSING,MI — Michigan has been in the national spotlight for so many political reasons, one being Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s decision to quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic and her decision to protect reproductive rights.
Whitmer said that the quarantine order was necessary to suppress the spread of COVID-19, to prevent the state’s health care system from being overwhelmed, to allow time for the production of critical test kits, ventilators, and personal protective equipment, and to avoid needless deaths, it is reasonable and necessary to direct residents to remain at home or in their place of residence to the maximum extent feasible. On March 23, 2020, Whitmer ordering all people in Michigan to stay home and stay safe. The order limited gatherings and travel, and required workers who are not necessary to sustain or protect life to stay home. The order was rescinded on May 7, when Whitmer introduced the MI Safe Start Plan. The plan contained six phases of COVID-19 recovery including lifting the stay at home order.
During that time, there were many that were heavily armed that descended upon the Capitol. They were threatening Whitmer and lawmakers with violence, according to those who were present and following them on social media. There was also a conspiracy to kidnap and harm Whitmer. In 2022, two defendants were acquitted and two were found guilty of a conspiracy to kidnap Whitmer over her COVID-19 policies in 2020. They will be sentenced in December.
Despite the issues, Whitmer has:
Collaborated with Republican and Democratic partners in the legislature on hundreds of bipartisan bills.
Worked across the aisle to sign four fiscally responsible state budgets that did not raise taxes.
Invested over $4 billion to upgrade drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater facilities, replace lead service lines, and build dams, supporting 57,000 jobs.
Secured a $2 billion investment from Ford creating 3,200 jobs thanks to economic development legislation.
Reduced Michigan’s debt by nearly $14 billion.
Won a $4.5 billion investment from Stellantis creating 6,433 jobs
First new assembly plant in Detroit in nearly 30 years.
Michigan turned a projected $3 billion deficit into a $7 billion surplus
Signed the Building Michigan Together Plan to make the single largest investment in state and local parks
Closed the funding gap between schools in Michigan without raising taxes.
Put 186,000 Michiganders and counting on a tuition-free path to higher education or skills training through Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners
Landed a $7 billion investment from General Motors to create and retain 5,000 jobs because of bipartisan economic development legislation
Since Governor Whitmer took office in 2018 through the end of 2022, Michigan will fix more than 16,000 lane miles of road and 1,200 bridges, supporting more than 89,000 jobs
Expanded Childcare Investment to help 150,000 Children
$1.6 billion Rainy Day Fund
$400 per Vehicle Refunds because of bipartisan auto insurance reform
Announced over 30,690 Auto Jobs since 2018
Since Governor Whitmer took office, Michigan has announced over 30,690 auto jobs
0 Tax Increases on Michiganders
According to Tudor Dixon’s website, she is a businesswoman, breast cancer survivor and a working mother of four girls. It also states that she built a career in Michigan’s Steel industrial sales for heavy equipment in the agricultural, automotive, and energy sectors, among others. Quickly a leader in that space, Tudor was highlighted in 2009 at just thirty-one years old as part of "Metalcasting's Next Generation" by trade magazine Foundry Management & Technology and served as Chairwoman of the Steel Founders Society of America's Future Leaders Committee.
Tudor Dixon will pardon all business owners who were cited under Gretchen Whitmer’s illegal lockdown policies. Tudor will block mask mandates in schools. And she will launch investigations into Michigan’s state government response to COVID to find out why Gretchen Whitmer ignored expert advice to keep COVID-positive patients out of nursing homes and to see who profited from the harsh lockdown policies.
Regarding school safety, she has called for all “diversity/equity/inclusion” consultants and administrators in public schools to be cut and the funding for their positions to be repurposed and used for armed school security. She also proposed using one-time federal COVID relief funds to harden schools through increased security features and planning.
Tudor Dixon is a pro-life leader who supports the Right to Life agenda.
During the Republican primary Dixon said that she believed the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, whose loss to President Joe Biden in Michigan by some 154,000 votes was confirmed through multiple investigations and lawsuits.
Dixon would like to sign legislation to make Michigan’s Voter ID laws the strongest in the country. Her ideals are to combat the liberals’ patronizing and racist narrative that Black people don’t know how to get IDs.
Dixon would like to codify signature matching requirements and strengthen criminal penalties for forging ballot signatures. Ban ballot harvesting and drop boxes. Enact strict chain of custody and records retention requirements for all mail-in ballots.
Dixon does not have any political experience
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