Pastor Mark Hopper

By Pastor Mark Hopper

For many communities, this is an “off” year in the election cycle.  But for some cities, there is an election on the first Tuesday in November.

My wife and I live in Diamond Bar.  We will be voting for new City Council members and for new School Board members.  We also have a bond measure for one of our school districts.

One of the ways you know it is an election season is the amount of flyers related to the election in your mail box.  There are also a number of election signs along the main streets in our city promoting a variety of candidates.

My criticism of the election signs is that people forget to remove them after the election is over.  I believe there are some regulations on the size and location of the signs, but there should be better ways to make sure they get removed after the voting is complete.

My criticism of the election materials that fill our mailboxes is that they can be misleading and misrepresent opposing candidates.

Recently there was a flyer in the mail with a photo of a candidate.  It was an unflattering picture and it was obvious that the flyer had been produced by the opposition. The flyer made some specific accusations regarding the candidate and urged voters to not vote for him.

I have several problems with this type of political material.

First, we should have a regulation that prohibits the use of an opposing candidate’s picture without their permission.

Everyone can find an unflattering photo of their opponent. Candidates should only be allowed to use photos of themselves and not their opponent.

Second, every flyer should include the names of the people who produced and paid for it.  The flyer that I received in the mail simply had a generic name of the sponsor and a post office box in another city.  It was paid for by “Citizens for a Better Community” or something like that.

My immediate question was, “Who are these people?  Who actually produced and paid for this mailing?”  People should be required to identify themselves personally and include a phone number and street address so you know exactly who sent out the flyer.

Third, I think there should be a time limit restricting when mailings can be sent.  I received the flyer late in the campaign.  It left little time for the opposing candidate to respond to the accusations leveled against him.  And, it left him with little time to provide a more positive photo of himself.

I hope that you will vote in the next election.  I hope you will take time to learn about each of the candidates and each ballot measure.  Read the material carefully.  Read the sample ballot, too.

Understand the issues and views of each candidate.

And, be discerning when you read the material you receive in the mail.  If it contains an unflattering photo and inflammatory accusations against another candidate, you may just want to toss it in the trash.

Many people are disillusioned and cynical about voting.  They are turned off by the negative campaigning and feel their vote doesn’t matter. But, do you know that there was a City Council election in Diamond Bar that ended in a tie?  The outcome was determined by a coin toss!  Every vote really does count!

Pastor Mark Hopper is from the Evangelical Free Church of Diamond Bar, 3255 South Diamond Bar Ave. Sunday services are 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. For more information, call (909) 594-7604 or visit http://www.efreedb.org.