Letters: Counting votes | 49ers spending | Mental health | Child care | No trump | DeSantis in 2024

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Our count is taking too long

I find it very disturbing that the ballots take so long to count. Deciding on the mayoral race in San Jose (just one example) shouldn’t take more than a week. Many congressional races have yet to be decided, with the fate of the nation possibly hanging in the balance.

Other nations can hold elections and determine winners in a day or two, but in the United States it can take weeks or even months. It’s absurd. Mail-in ballots must be counted upon receipt. The voting process should be greatly simplified, with the default position being that if you have a pulse and functioning brain cells, you are eligible to vote.

The longer it takes to count the ballots, the more opportunities there are for shenanigans. Already, shenanigans have been reported in Santa Clara County. We should do better.

Anthony StegmanSan Jose

49ers campaign spending raises concerns

In response to Monday’s newspaper article titled “Money poured into Prop. 27, ‘yes’ votes are a costly failure” (page A1, October 14), I also calculated the amount that the The 49ers’ political machine spent on attack ads against Mayor Lisa. Gillmor and in favor of Councilman Anthony Becker in the Santa Clara mayoral race, by vote.

The 49ers spent $2.4 million on the Santa Clara mayoral race alone (according to the San Francisco Chronicle) and as of Monday morning, 11,171 votes had been cast for Becker. That’s about $215 per vote cast for their preferred candidate in this election.

We don’t yet know the official outcome of this election, but one wonders if the 49ers should spend that much per vote on our local elections.

Stacey MorseSanta Clara

Beall’s call for on-site mental health support

I want to salute former state senator Jim Beall for excellent articulation of the urgency of mental health care support.

With an outstanding track record in legislation and mentoring so many community leaders, his recommendations hit the mark. Enforcement of parity laws and the creation of badly needed supportive housing resources could be added to his list.

Uday KapoorChairman, NAMI Santa Clara County

We need to improve access to child care

We need to talk more about access to child care. Childcare is a very important service that many families depend on, but it has become increasingly difficult to pay.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, the median family income in California is around $68,000 and annual childcare costs around $17,000, which means they make up around 25% of the average family budget. If you go city by city, the cost of infant care is significantly higher than what is affordable, and this, of course, has the greatest impact on low-income families.

Everyone should be able to access child care if they need it, which is why I think we should have a universal statewide child care system or, at a minimum, have a cap on spending so it’s more affordable.

Angel CasillasSan Jose

Dishonest Trump shouldn’t lead anymore

Donald Trump is 100% bogus. I can’t believe not everyone sees through this so-called “man”.

Anyone who mocks servicemen for serving in World War II as suckers who are not entitled to a memorial visitation to pay their respects because they didn’t want their hair damaged by the weather deserves no consideration for a function. He is determined to regain leadership, but not for any of us. Everything about Trump reeks of self-absorption and self-glorification. He’s the most repulsive character I’ve ever had the misfortune to see (fortunately, only remotely).

Prices are high because of Vladimir Putin, not Joe Biden. And the biggest crime wave is Trump’s.

Robert WahlerSan Jose

It’s time to go with DeSantis

As our country prepares to fight to elect a president in 2024, we must learn from America’s past.