A “VOTE” sign is posted near a polling center on March 3, 2026 in Austin, Texas. Readers have concerns about changes to voting rules.
Brandon Bell/TNS
Not a partisan principle
Re: “Voter fraud is no laughing matter,” by Peter Johnson, Tuesday Opinion.
Johnson’s column makes an important point: Voting should be an act of citizenship, not personal loyalty to a politician.
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Whether remarks about cheating are intended as a joke, they send the wrong message. Our elections should be based on lawful participation, honest counting and respect for every eligible voter.
And this should not be a partisan principle. I don’t want Republicans cheating. I don’t want Democrats cheating. I don’t want anyone cheating.
Americans fought, marched and sacrificed for the right to vote. We honor that history by protecting the integrity of the ballot — not by treating dishonesty as a punchline.
We can disagree about candidates and policies. But we should be able to agree that every eligible voter deserves the right to vote freely, lawfully and have that vote counted.
That is not a partisan principle. It is an American one.
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Carol London, Dallas/Preston Hollow
Concerns about voting
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to empowering voters and defending democracy. Nonpartisan means we do not support or oppose political parties or candidates.
It does not mean we remain neutral on issues. The League advocates for governmental policies consistent with positions adopted through our member-driven process.
The League of Women Voters of Collin County believes elections should be secure, transparent, accessible and encourage informed participation.
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We have concerns about portions of the proposed “Secure Texas Elections” resolution at Collin County Commissioners Court. Specifically, provisions involving documentary proof of citizenship, limiting ballots to English, restricting voting to a single day, eliminating countywide and early voting in favor of precinct-only voting, as well as limiting access to mail-in voting could create additional barriers for eligible voters.
We do support aligning local elections with county and state elections. Greater consistency could simplify the voting process and potentially encourage participation.
Our positions focus on strengthening elections while providing meaningful access to voters.
President, LWV Collin County
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Pure poison
Re: “Texas Brain Drain? Don’t worry. Our universities are just fine,” Wednesday editorial.
Your editorial around the ideological capture of the minds of innocents in colleges was off the mark in my opinion.
We should all agree that political bias not be injected into the learning process.
However, we shouldn’t aim to “measure” ideologies of professors and work to “balance the ledger.” Instead, we should aim for the best qualified to teach and impart core curriculum knowledge set by departments. The departments should be charged with assuring that information was provided in an unbiased way.
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In an instance when political bias is perceived by a student, two things could/should happen: 1. the students should respond/challenge a finding, and 2. have recourse for departmental complaints of alleged bias if the professor minimizes their comments.
There has to be a balance in the learning process where open-ended discussions can occur and when they are inappropriate. Graduate level courses generally allow for more discussion; undergrad courses not so much, as assimilation of core knowledge is the major goal.
The injection of politicians into the scholastic mix is pure poison. I’m sure that universities, both private and public, would agree.
Lawrence Brennan, Carrollton
Mirroring thoughts
Re: “What has happened to conservative values? Scientist reflects on the state of the GOP,” by Steven McKnight, Wednesday Opinion.
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As a center-right political scientist who has studied Burkean conservatism, I very much appreciated McKnight’s piece on what has happened to conservative values. I would wager that his thoughts mirror those of thousands of Texans and millions of Americans, as they do mine.
Carl M. Richard, Rockwall
Reason to pause
This commentary gave me a reason to pause. In my opinion, the question that needs asking isn’t “What has happened to conservative values?” It’s “Why are socialist and communist values rising?”
Devon Cucarese, Garland
Religion and politics
Re: “GOP leans on faith to rally base — Leaders are centering Christianity in their get-out-to-vote messages,” Sept. 12 news story.
America’s history is marked with moments when politics and religion collided. Seldom have the outcomes been productive.
It’s particularly egregious when a faith-based leader supports a candidate by condemning the spiritual values of an opponent. Using the power of the pulpit in a political setting can erode understanding of one of our most cherished privileges: the right to worship or not.
The real intent of those who engage in such conduct can only be imagined.
Bill Lively, North Dallas
The great John Pritchett
Re: “Age is only a number — At 93, John Pritchett is still the voice of Dallas ISD athletics,” Tuesday news story.
Greg Riddle hit a grand slam with his story about John Pritchett, who has been the voice of DISD sports forever.
I first met John in the 1980s at a Dallas ISD track meet where he went out of his way to help the media after the event. I was a sportscaster at WBAP radio but did some freelance writing about DISD athletes back then.
John was so gracious with his time telling me everything to know about the athletes competing, just to try and get them a little bit more publicity.
I did a sports trivia show at WBAP for 15 years in the ’80s and ’90s. When there would be a track and field question regarding DISD athletes from Michael Johnson to Chryste Gaines, who became Olympians, I’d always try to mention the great John Pritchett.
I only met him a few times, but he made an impact on me by showing just how nice a human being he was. We could use a lot more folks like John these days.
David Hatchett, Arlington