Letters: The right to vote -- legally

Re “Suppressing the vote, state by state,” Editorial, July 16

It’s disturbing to see The Times proselytize against voter ID laws when the Supreme Court OKd Indiana’s in 2008 and polls consistently show high public approval.

Voter fraud is a real problem. One president may have gotten his start in politics through it. Lyndon Johnson probably squeaked out his 1948 Senate victory with stuffed ballot boxes to win by 87 votes.

Nobody wants his proper vote canceled out by one cast by a dead person or an illegal immigrant. The actions of President Obama’s Justice Department against voter ID laws do not inspire confidence in the administration’s allegiance to voting honesty.

All Americans should demand one vote per qualified citizen, a system of integrity that voter ID helps maintain. The public now has so little confidence in government that disbelief in the fairness of elections could be very damaging.

Dana Garcia

Berkeley

If Republicans were sincere about stopping voter fraud but not suppressing the vote, they would have preceded these anti-fraud laws with programs to ensure that all eligible voters have the proper identification. Instead, they’ve taken the opposite approach by passing restrictive voting laws first. Their motives are too transparent to be denied: This is minority voter suppression reminiscent of the 1950s and ‘60s.

Marlin Sobbota

Arcadia

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