Unfounded claims of election fraud harm poll workers
The rhetoric questioning the integrity and transparency of the election process in Georgia is disturbing. Unfounded claims of election fraud do a disservice to those dedicated to conducting fair elections.
As an assistant poll manager, I see that election workers are committed to ensuring voters are treated with dignity and votes are secure and properly counted. Prior to each election, all workers receive rigorous training including critical updates.
Election Day is long and tedious, beginning at 5:30 a.m. and working nonstop until after the polls close at 7 p.m. Throughout the day, hourly counts are conducted and cross-checked, reconciling each vote between the ballot issued, the ballot marking machine where voters make their selections and the scanner where the vote is cast. Once polls close, multiple forms are completed, verifying the hourly and final reconciliation.
Instead of criticizing, sign up to work and see firsthand our elections are secure.
NANCY SCHULZ, FORMER NEWTON COUNTY COMMISSIONER
Therapeutic help is available for climate anxieties
Regarding the Oct. 6 AJC article “Back-to-back hurricanes wreak havoc on communities’ mental health”:
We know repeated disasters magnify anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Those who’ve experienced them need help. Those who have family or friends in disaster zones and those who fight daily against a degraded climate also face mental anxieties that can be difficult to overcome. Groups such as the Climate Psychology Alliance are working to spread therapeutic and self-help to the growing numbers of people who need it. Personal resilience practices should be more widely available at little or no cost.
Nonprofit organizations such as Citizens Climate Lobby are increasingly adding personal resilience training and programs to their repertoire. Strengthening resilience skills before they become a mental health problem is important. Free personal resilience practices can bring much-needed nonprofessional relief to those who want help.
We must address both the physical and mental tolls of increased climate-related disasters.
JEFF JOSLIN, CITIZENS CLIMATE LOBBY
LEADER, PERSONAL RESILIENCE ACTION TEAM
