County money for nonprofits, every voter should provide ID
A Super Tuesday voter walks past a sign requiring a photo ID at a polling location, March 5, 2024, in Mount Holly, N.C. A federal lawsuit challenging North Carolina's photo voter identification law goes to trial Monday, May 6, with expected arguments focusing on whether the requirement unlawfully discriminates against Black and Hispanic citizens or serves legitimate state interests to boost public confidence in elections. Credit: AP/Chris Carlson
County shouldn't deny money for nonprofits
Having worked with the State Legislature for six years, I know firsthand how critical our local, community-based not-for-profit organizations are in filling gaps in services where our state and local governments fall short [“$107G for nonprofits denied by legislature,” Our Towns, April 2].
This is even truer today with a federal government hell-bent on taking a chain saw to the social safety net and agencies like the Department of Education, which disburse funding for some of our most vulnerable populations.
With this in mind, it’s horrible to learn that Republicans in the Suffolk County Legislature recently denied funding to six small nonprofit organizations which provide mentorship and after-school programs to youth in predominantly minority areas.
The $107,000 represents pennies in the context of the county’s $4 billion budget and helps the kids’ educational outcomes, future earnings and crime prevention.
If Suffolk Republicans want to hide behind vague accusations of wrongdoing on the parts of these organizations, then show the receipts and point to an affirming audit. Until then, they should hang their heads in shame.
— Brendan Cunningham, West Babylon
Every voter should provide identification
It seems the political left usually seeks to block requirements of documentary proof of citizenship to vote [“States sue to block prez’s election order,” News, April 4]. The claims of disenfranchisement of certain groups are absurd. Does this imply that they don’t know how to get proper identification?
States like Georgia even go to people’s homes to help them get an ID, but that’s still problematic to the left. Trust must be restored in elections with the right ID.
Canada and Mexico require IDs to vote as do most European countries. Much of Europe, Canada and Mexico are ideologically to the left of center. The United States needs to catch up and require a government-issued ID to cast a ballot in all elections
— John D. Fickes, Islip
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