{"id":6535,"date":"2026-08-07T23:13:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:13:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6535"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:13:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:13:15","slug":"letters-penalizing-nonvoters-would-amount-to-a-tax-on-the-poor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6535","title":{"rendered":"Letters: Penalizing nonvoters would amount to a tax on the poor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Penalizing nonvoters would be tax on poor<\/h4>\n

Re: \u201cWhy the U.S. should make voting compulsory\u201d (Page A11, Aug. 2).<\/p>\n

The authors clearly didn\u2019t consult a tax professional for this article.<\/p>\n

Penalizing nonvoters with the loss of their standard deduction will absolutely be a tax on the poor. It\u2019s true that today, a single person earning $16,100 ($32,200 for a married couple) pays no tax. But eliminate the standard deduction for failing to vote, and that person owes $1,610, a 10% penalty. And a middle-class taxpayer pays even more.<\/p>\n

Read more Victim uses cell phone to track purse stolen from Saratoga High School<\/a><\/p>\n

Maybe it will get out the vote: to defeat anyone who thinks this is a good idea.<\/p>\n

Karen Brosi<\/strong>
\nMountain View<\/em><\/p>\n

Liccardo\u2019s office gives hope in climate fight<\/h4>\n

Re: \u201cUN, scientists warn that El Ni\u00f1o will add to fires\u201d (Page A3, Aug. 1).<\/p>\n

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that due to a strengthening El Ni\u00f1o, \u201cWe are in uncharted territory,\u201d and \u201cThe climate crisis is in overdrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

We are already experiencing the effects of El Ni\u00f1o in California, with extreme heat and an increasing number of wildfires.<\/p>\n

Tuesday, July 28, I was one of 850 Citizens\u2019 Climate Lobby volunteers who met face-to-face with members of Congress (or their staffers) in over 400 congressional offices on Capitol Hill to let them know that we support clean energy solutions.<\/p>\n

In our meeting with Rep. Sam Liccardo\u2019s legislative aide, we discussed the need for a bipartisan permitting reform package that will reduce emissions, create jobs and improve energy security and reliability by helping to meet rising power demand. Getting transmission lines up and running faster is key.<\/p>\n

Read more Fremont police release more details about man fatally shot by officers at assisted living facility<\/a><\/p>\n

Liccardo is passionate about working across the aisle on climate change, and I left the meeting feeling hopeful. <\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Paula Danz<\/strong>
\nLos Altos<\/em><\/p>\n

Go after fraudsters if voter fraud is a problem<\/h4>\n

Re: \u201cVoter ID could soon be required\u201d (Page A1, Aug. 3).<\/p>\n

I first voted on Nov. 3, 1964. I felt my voice had been heard.<\/p>\n

Now, there are those who wish to place obstacles in my path. If my dog has fleas, please don\u2019t kill my dog; kill the fleas. Don\u2019t infringe on my right to vote; find and prosecute those committing the crime.<\/p>\n

My government is supposed to protect my rights. I\u2019m the victim; protect me.<\/p>\n

Morris Chassen<\/strong>
\nSan Jose<\/em><\/p>\n

Make voter ID arguments on merit<\/h4>\n

Re: \u201cVoter ID could soon be required\u201d (Page A1, Aug. 3).<\/p>\n

Some claim requiring a government-issued photo ID is an unreasonable burden. Yet Californians routinely present photo ID without controversy. We need it to drive, board commercial flights, buy alcohol, tobacco, or cannabis, rent a car, check into hotels, open bank accounts, start a new job, pick up certain prescriptions, notarize documents, purchase firearms and enter many bars, casinos and secure government facilities. Many local governments also require photo ID to use landfills, dispose of household hazardous waste, retrieve impounded vehicles or obtain resident discounts for parks and recreation.<\/p>\n

If photo ID is accepted as a reasonable safeguard for so many everyday activities, it deserves the same consideration wherever identity verification protects the integrity of an important public process. We should debate voter ID on its merits \u2014 not on the mistaken premise that showing a photo ID is somehow foreign to everyday life.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump called him WHAT? Ex-White House correspondent from Oakland on covering 3 presidents<\/a><\/p>\n

Ray Girouard<\/strong>
\nAtherton<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Also: Climate hope | Punish fraudsters | Arguments on merit | Disqualifying fund | Untrustworthy duo. Mercury News reader letters to the editor for Aug. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\nLetters: Penalizing nonvoters would amount to a tax on the poor - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6535\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Letters: Penalizing nonvoters would amount to a tax on the poor - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Also: Climate hope | Punish fraudsters | Arguments on merit | Disqualifying fund | Untrustworthy duo. 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