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VETERANS SOUGHT
Ripon VFW seeks Iraq, Afghanistan veterans
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The new post commander of the VFW post in Ripon,

Retired Navy Lieutenant Commander Jorge Miguel Velez  — the new leader of the Ripon Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1051 — is seeking Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans to join the organization.

Velez served most recently in Kandahar Afghanistan in a combat hospital. The commander is currently working as an Interventional (IR) Cath Lab registered nurse at Kaiser Hospital in Modesto.

 Velez pointed to the current attrition at VFW posts nationwide where the older vets are dying away.   

He noted that the numbers of World War II vets now in the VFW has dwindled down to a very few adding that it will be the Desert Storm and Afghanistan service personnel who will guarantee the future and viability of the VFW.

Velez explained that the VFW is the nation’s largest and oldest major war veterans’ organization having been founded in 1899.  It is comprised of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, guard and reserve forces.

There are more than 1.6 million VFW and Auxiliary members at 6,300 posts in the non-profit veteran service organization worldwide.  He stressed that no one organization does more for its veterans than the VFW that is dedicated to veterans’ services, legislative advocacy as well as military and community service programs.

It all began when the American Veterans of Foreign Service and the National Society of the Army of the Philippines were organized to secure rights and benefits for veterans from the Spanish-American War in 1898 and the Philippines War 1899-1902.  Velez said the two organizations then merged in 1914 creating the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. and was chartered by Congress in 1936.

To be eligible to join a VFW post the veteran service member must have served honorably in a foreign war or overseas operation that has been recognized by a campaign medal, in Korea after June 30, 1949, and recipients of hostile fire or imminent danger pay.  Veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Persian Gulf, Somalia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and other smaller expeditionary campaigns as well as occupation duty quality for membership Velez explained.

Both the Ripon and Manteca VFW posts are “family” in their own rights with veterans of all services having fun and working together to make the future of American vets as bright as possible dealing with a litany of challenges from education and employment to health care and suicide prevention and dealing with homelessness as well as meeting the needs of women veterans.

The Ripon VFW is located on West Ripon Road at Olive Avenue west of town and the Manteca VFW post is on Moffat Boulevard near Powers Avenue.

To contact Glenn Kahl, email gkahl@mantecabulletin.com.

California Respects the Power of Your Vote
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California Voting

By Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., California Secretary of State  

Californians can confidently claim this: California has made more significant reforms to our election laws and expanded voting rights than any other state.  

The relevance of this accomplishment deepens as we prepare to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act next year. This landmark legislation began to undo our country’s long history of voter suppression, intimidation, and disenfranchisement that far too many Americans experienced at the polls for decades.  

My own parents, who were sharecroppers, were denied their right to vote in the Jim Crow era South. Before moving to Los Angeles from Hope, Arkansas, my parents, David and Mildred Nash, could not vote. My father was an adult with six children before he registered to vote and was only able to exercise that constitutional right for the first time here in California. 

As California Secretary of State, I do not take the progress we have made over the years lightly. My staff and I hold sacred the obligation to ensure that our elections are safe, free, fair, and accessible to all. Therefore, before certifying the results for this year’s election on Dec. 13, we have taken a number of steps to ensure that every vote is counted. We have also made sure that our ballot counting process is credible and free from interference.  

To meet that deadline without a hitch, California requires elections officials in all 58 counties to turn in their official results by a certain date. This year, that date was Dec. 6.  

By law, every eligible voter in our state receives a vote-by-mail ballot. This ensures all registered voters can exercise their right to vote.

Whether you placed your ballot in a designated drop-off box, voted by mail, or cast your ballot at a polling center, votes are safe and secure. And we allow voters to sign up to receive text message, email, or voice call notifications about the status of their own ballots by using the Where’s My Ballot? tool. 

The ballots of Californians who voted by mail are also protected. The United States Postal Service partners with the State to make sure ballots are delivered on time. All mailed-in ballots are sent by First Class mail with a postage paid envelope provided to every eligible registered voter.  

Election Security is our number one priority. That’s why my office designed and implemented a program to back up that commitment.  

Additionally, California takes preventive actions to make sure our voting technology keeps our elections safe and protects everyone’s votes.

For example, county voting systems are not connected to the internet, which protects them from cyberthreats. The State also performs regular and rigorous testing to make sure the voting systems are working optimally, and only authorized personnel are granted access.

Staff members are also given phishing and cybersecurity training.  

VoteCal, the state’s centralized voter registration system, is also key. The system is regularly updated, and it is used as a resource for counties to verify voter signatures.

California also provides security at all counting locations and makes sure ballot drop-off boxes are secured and monitored.  

And all election processes are open to observation during specified hours.  

In my role as Secretary of State of California, there is nothing more important to me than defending our democracy. I am committed to safeguarding voting rights, and to leading our state in upholding the highest democratic standards by implementing policies and practices that Californians and all Americans can trust and look to for instruction and hope.  

You can contact the California Office of the Secretary of State at 1-800-345-Vote or elections@sos.ca.gov with inquiries or to report suspected incidents or irregularities. Additional information can be found at www.sos.ca.gov and the office’s social media platforms:  

Instagram: @californiasos_ 

Facebook: Facebook.com/CaliforniaSOS 

X: @CASOSVote