Military members face challenges in voting

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Thursday, November 3rd.

Its harder to vote if you're in the military

More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….

########

President Joe Biden will be in San Diego today to campaign for Congressman Mike Levin.

Representative Levin, who is a Democrat, is in a tight race against Republican Brian Maryott.

They are facing off to represent the 49th congressional district which covers most of northern coastal San Diego County and part of southern Orange County.

Levin has represented the district since 20-18.

########

The county announced yesterday that it's working with two local high schools that have reported cases of T-B.

The county and school districts have notified those at high risk who may have been exposed at Mission Bay and Montomery high schools earlier this year.

T-B screenings for those at high risk are also being arranged.

But additional students and staff may have been exposed.

The possible exposure periods were from April second to September 16th at

Montgomery High School, and from June 17th to July 10th at Mission Bay High School.

T-B Symptoms include persistent coughing, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss.

Most people don’t get sick right after they are exposed to T-B, sometimes it can even take years for someone who was infected to get sick.

########

It’s starting to feel like fall here in San Diego County, and we may see rain again today.

There’s a 30-percent chance of rain with possible thunderstorms this morning.

And In the mountains, it’s going to be cold, windy and rainy… and snow levels are expected to drop.

If you’re planning to head to the beach, the weather conditions are predicted to bring in a rough surf and a high risk of rip currents through tomorrow morning.

#########

From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.

##########

Voting for members of the military is much more complicated than for civilians, especially if they're stationed overseas or in a combat zone.

November’s election comes ten years after Congress passed laws aimed at making the process easier.

But as Jonathan Ahl reports for the American Homefront Project, the rules are not consistent from state to state.

In the 2008 election, 91 percent of all absentee ballots from civilians were returned successfully. But only 50 percent of absentee ballots from overseas military members were counted. That led Congress to pass a law that set requirements for states and their voting authorities – usually counties – to make voting easier for military members. Donald Inbody is an Army veteran and the author of “The Soldier Vote."e says the biggest issue for military voters is getting their ballots on time so they can return them before the deadline. That’s one of the reasons the law was passed that states had to have their ballots ready to go 45 days before the election. That was the primary purpose for that was to allow the state to get an absentee ballot overseas, give the person time to fill it out, and then have it mailed home. The 2010 election saw an almost immediate improvement, with only 33% of overseas ballots coming back too late. Nowadays, states are supposed to mail paper ballots sooner. And a handful have implemented online voting for overseas troops. In Missouri, state Election Director Chrissy Peters supervises the online portal. PETERS If a military or overseas voter is in a hostile zone, then can utilize the portal to return their ballot via the portal and/or if they are choosing to receive their ballot via email, they can return it with that method as well. While not all states go to that length to make it easier for military members to vote,the latest numbers show the percentage of military absentee ballot rejections is down to single digits. Making it easier for military members to vote is generally popular among politicians. Republicans like Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft are tightening voting access in the name of security, but he is willing to expand opportunities like online voting to members of the military ASHCROFT-REPLACE Clearly, when someone has been potentially sent to one of the places in the world by Uncle Sam to to defend the freedoms of those of us still in Missouri, we need to go the extra mile to make sure they can particiapte. While it’s easier for military members to vote, and their absentee ballots are getting back on time more often, that isn’t changing the percentage of service members voting. According to the Defense Department, 47% of troops voted in the 2020 presidential election, compared to 74% of civilians with similar demographics. Scott Weidmann is the Deputy Director of the department's Federal Voting Assistance Program, which provides resources to help troops navigate the election process. WEIDMANN We see that folks that actually avail themselves of either the guidebook, the website, the voting assistance officers, have a much higher chance of successfully casting a ballot in the election if they avail themselves of that. Inbody - the veteran and author - says some of the tactics states are using to help service members vote might work their way out to the rest of the population. The whole idea of an absentee ballot didn’t exist until the Civil War, when Congress wanted to let soldiers on the front lines vote. Inbody says, it’s not unreasonable to think that someday, online voting could be as ubiquitous as absentee ballots: Using the experience they see in the military to pass those rights on to other American citizens, - there’s certainly historical precedent for that. Making it easier for everyone to vote may seem fraught with political implications, especially in the current climate. But Inbody says even back in the Civil War, creating a mechanism for absentee voting was motivated by elected officials hoping it would help them get re-elected, and that change stuck. In Rolla, Missouri, I’m Jonathan Ahl.

This story was produced by the American Homefront Project, a public media collaboration that reports on American military life and veterans.

Funding comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

##########

Years after incorporating police surveillance tools like drones and license plate readers, the Chula Vista City Council approved a policy this week meant to protect residents' privacy as police use these tools.

KPBS Reporter Amita Sharma has more.

Under the new policy, Chula Vista will form a commission to oversee the police department’s use of technology and set up rules governing how it acquires surveillance tools. The new policy also contains a provision on storing and selling personal data. This comes two years after revelations that Chula Vista police shared data collected from its license plate readers with immigration officials. Pedro Rios of the American Friends Service Committee, who was part of the working group, called the policy a good first step … but he says the city needs to go further. “I'm also disappointed that it's not an ordinance.  An ordinance, it would have much stronger power to ensure that people's privacy, civil liberties would be protected.” 10 secs City officials haven’t ruled out such an ordinance in the future. Amita Sharma, KPBS News.

##########

High Tech High teachers demanding action on their pending contract…now expect a final response from charter school administrators by next week.

KPBS Education reporter M.G. Perez has the update.

Since January, almost 7-hundred teachers and classified workers have been in negotiations with the High Tech High Charter Management Organization. The latest bargaining session ended with a commitment from C-M-O leaders to respond to demands within a week. Both sides have agreed on a pay raise. They have not agreed on a third-party due process for teachers who are fired…or the probationary period for new teachers. Hayden Gore is the teachers’ union president.  “What we are asking for is honor, recognition, and rewards from the board of directors…and frankly, what we are advocating for is simple industry standard.” The High Tech High Interim CEO has said–QUOTE- "We will continue to show up with integrity, decency, and a spirit of dialogue to meet the needs of all members of this community." MGP KPBS News

##########

Coming up.... the San Diego Asian Film Fest kicks off today. We’ll bring you the details. That story and more, next, just after the break.

##########

Some winter weather has made its way to San Diego, bringing wind, rain and snow to parts of the region.

KPBS reporter Jacob Aere takes a look at what the latest storm means in terms of the megadrought and water supply struggles affecting much of the Western U-S.

Even with the recent wet weather in San Diego County, climate change is rapidly accelerating in California, according to a new state report. The National Weather Service’s Alex Tardy explains how that can affect the state’s water supply. “Our long term deficits are still significant in Southern California and especially in Northern California. And the overall water supply being at its lowest state on record for the Colorado system and near record lows even for California.” Tardy says that this upcoming fall and winter is projected to be drier and warmer than average for the third year in a row, continuing the region’s ongoing drought issues. Jacob Aere, KPBS News.

##########

This month medical professionals are spotlighting a disease affecting more than 1-hundred-33-million Americans.

KPBS Health reporter Matt Hoffman says local health providers are continuing to notice climbing rates of diabetes.

November is national diabetes month and doctors say, it’s all about prevention and early detection. Dr. Aaron Lehman, Kaiser permanente san diego physician Any patient can work with his or her physician to help make the basic changes in lifestyle that help prevent the onset of diabetes or if we catch diabetes really early that’s a chance that we can intervene Dr. Aaron Lehman is chief of outpatient internal medicine at Kaiser Permanente San Diego.. He says people are being diagnosed earlier, but rates of diabetes are also increasing Lehman The main concern is the lifestyle. Either not having an active lifestyle with a lot of exercise or not eating a balanced nutrition Risk factors can involve underlying conditions, family history and lifestyle habits. MH KPBS News.

##########

The 23rd annual San Diego Asian Film Festival kicks off today with the documentary ‘Bad Axe’ at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

This year's festival returns to pre-pandemic numbers with more than 130 films from more than 30 countries, screening at four venues.

KPBS film critic Beth Accomando spoke with the festival's artistic director, Brian Hu [WHO] about some of the films.

That was Beth Accomando speaking with Brian Hu [WHO].

The San Diego Asian Film Festival runs through next Saturday, the 12th.

Its home base is at the Ultrastar Mission Valley and with additional screenings in Balboa Park and at UC San Diego.

##########

That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.