To the editor: In defending his intent to vote for neither presidential candidate, Jonah Goldberg dismisses how essential particular person elections are. He signifies that it’s mistaken to see them as “spiritual wars concerning the nature of actuality.”
Nonetheless, that’s precisely what presidential and Senate elections have turn out to be. Had the end result of the 2016 election been totally different, we might nonetheless have constitutionally enforceable abortion rights that no state might abolish.
Whether or not spiritual right-wing oppressors or supporters of the separation of church and state are positioned on the U.S. Supreme Court docket and the decrease federal courts will depend on who the president is and who controls the Senate.
There are candidates who would flip the nation over to these intent on imposing their spiritual views on society. Others imagine that the federal government needs to be impartial in issues of faith and that believers and nonbelievers needs to be equal earlier than the regulation.
Such elections do turn out to be “spiritual wars concerning the nature of actuality.”
Edward Tabash, Los Angeles
The author is an legal professional who chairs the board of administrators for the Middle for Inquiry.
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To the editor: I respect Goldberg. I imagine him to be clever and usually truthful. He has been clear that he doesn’t imagine that former President Trump is nice for the nation and even the Republican Celebration. Being a conservative, he apparently can’t convey himself to vote for a Democrat, so he’ll write in another Republican.
There are a lot of folks on either side who object to voting for Vice President Kamala Harris for numerous causes. It is extremely irritating to me that they assume voting third-party or for neither candidate isn’t basically a vote for Trump.
For somebody like Goldberg, who is aware of that Trump is horribly unqualified, to waste his vote is inexcusable.
Patricia Colburn, Pasadena
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To the editor: I’m respectful of Goldberg’s determination to not vote for both candidate. That’s his proper.
Nonetheless, when he states that he gained’t vote for Harris partly as a result of he understands the vice chairman will carry the District of Columbia, the place he lives, by 30 factors is an ideal instance of why the electoral school is antiquated. It’s an anachronism that makes many individuals imagine their vote doesn’t matter, in order that they don’t trouble turning out.
Dave Gershenson, Van Nuys
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To the editor: Goldberg says, “I’ll write in some regular, first rate Republican on my poll,” quite than vote for both Trump or Harris.
He might be able to write in a reputation, however it most likely gained’t rely as a vote within the election. The District of Columbia, the place Goldberg resides, has a rule (just like most states) {that a} write-in candidate should file an “Affirmation of Write-In Candidacy.”
Though within the district, not like most states, the deadline for this kind (Nov. 12) is after the election, it’s unlikely the particular person Goldberg writes in will ever file the shape and, thus, his “vote” is not going to rely.
Gary Clark, Los Angeles
