Opinion editor's note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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In a recent letter addressing D.J. Tice's recent column "Minnesota's case study in election imperfection," the letter writer mentioned that he didn't understand what Tice was asserting ("Excellent, if not 'perfect,'" Readers Write, Oct. 11). I'll let Tice speak for himself, but it seemed obvious to me that he was simply explaining — very clearly and even-handedly, I might add — ways in which human error and judgment create inconsistencies in process and procedure that can alter election outcomes that lead to voter mistrust, especially in close races. The Coleman/Franken case is a great example. I detected no bias, just factual and anecdotal evidence. And yet the letter writer twisted that into Tice "spew[ing] fodder for the [election] deniers"?

There's a bit of a double standard when it comes to electoral integrity. On one hand, those who question results allegedly skewed by Russian collusion are deemed pro-democracy. On the other hand, those who want reasonable safeguards to avoid controversy are labeled deniers, or worse, racists.

If you want to complain, complain about the article in this same paper from one day earlier ("The deniers span nation") that claimed there are 299 Republican election deniers on the ballot this November. Only when you read on does the article clarify: "299 in all ... have denied or questioned the outcome." To question is not to deny.

And before I get lumped in with the "deniers," because that's what our black-and-white culture loves to do, I'll point out that not only did I vote for President Joe Biden (reluctantly, I admit), but I accepted the 2020 election results immediately upon certification, and — as with former U.S. Attorney General William Barr — I have no reason to believe there was widespread fraud. But I do believe as long as there are inconsistencies in process and procedure, there will be mistrust.

Doug deGrood, Edina

I'm writing in response to the Tuesday letter that states you can't find one mainstream Democrat who didn't believe the 2016 election was on the up and up ("The analogy to 2016 fails"). Well, it didn't take much digging to find Democrats who officially objected to the Electoral College naming Donald Trump president. Among those were U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, who I'd label as mainstream. Jimmy Carter, Jerry Nadler, John Lewis, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton all questioned the election and called Trump an illegitimate president and not only because of the Electoral College. They all stated their belief that Russian collusion and voter suppression were major factors without any evidence. A Rasmussen poll showed that 72% of Democrats don't believe Trump won the election fairly.

I've read a story every day in the Star Tribune since Jan. 6 about how Republicans tried to overthrow an election. It leads me to a few questions. Was it more likely that a few hundred idiots could undo a duly elected president by raiding the Capitol? Or was it more likely that a duly elected president could be forced out of office by a Democratic Party hoax that had the full backing of the FBI and the mainstream media stating that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians? I know my answer, and I'm sure many objective people would agree.

Jeff Schneider, Otsego

We all want to belong, to feel a part of something, to know someone cares if we live or die.

The Listening House has created a place where that exists — where someone cares. The staff provide day shelter services to individuals in the St. Paul area. Largely, those individuals are experiencing homelessness. As a social worker, I see and hear firsthand the value of their presence. Desiring to do even better, this nonprofit recently purchased a new location and secured funding to renovate the location. I write today to ask those who can to lift your voice in support of their work. A lawsuit has been filed to stop their progress, to ask the government to not allow for nor to fund this growth. This ask is grounded in fear and ignorance and ignores the positive outcomes of having space for those who need it.

Dani Horan, Oakdale

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Another encampment of people living in tents at 205 Girard Av. N. was cleared the morning of Oct. 6 by the city of Minneapolis ("Evictions prompt City Hall protests," Oct. 12). The Star Tribune reporting of the event portrayed public officials and employees treating people without the respect that was due. There is a way to avoid these confrontations: Do not let encampments form in the first place.

The world was shaken by George Floyd's murder in the summer of 2020. During that chaos, compounded by the pandemic and social distancing dictums, it seemed reasonable and compassionate to allow people to live in tent communities. It soon became clear that the reality of permitting urban encampments, especially in this latitude, is the opposite of reasonable and compassionate.

The cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul ought to create and enforce policies that ban more than two tents pitched at any given time on any property in the cities. It's a matter of either permitting encampments to exist or not. People living in tents in an urban environment are not the problem. The problem lies in the harmful effects to the people living in the encampments, to the adjacent communities, and to our society in general.

Richard Cousins, Edina

On Monday the Star Tribune ran a rather clever but biased letter suggesting political attack lines against Republicans ("Here, take these attack lines"). It is only fair that Republicans run similar attack adds against Democrats.

Billboard material!

• Love record inflation? Vote Democratic!

• If you believe in no consequences for career criminals, vote Democratic!

• Hate children? Vote Democratic!

• Want to see Minneapolis burn? Vote Democratic!

• Like politicians who lie about who did it? Vote Democratic!

• Looking forward to sky-high energy costs in the future? Vote Democratic!

• Think abortions should be allowed after the baby is born? Vote Democratic! (It's been talked about. Really.)

• Like sitting in traffic because an unused bike lane took away a traffic lane? Vote Democratic!

• If you think we should spend a quarter of a billion dollars (or more) feeding children that no one seems to know who or where they are, or if in fact, they were really hungry, vote Democratic!

• If you think the Minnesota Department of Education knows what it's doing, vote Democratic!

• If you don't believe we need police, vote Democratic!

• If you don't believe that we need borders in our country, vote Democratic!

And my favorite: