Views Are Clear on Illegal Voting
Your Jan. 21 editorial “A Point for Crystal Clarity” seems to suggest that there is ambiguity in the laws and procedures under which immigrants can vote. This ambiguity, in turn, seems to absolve the fraudulent behavior of those involved.
Right on the California registration form, in both Spanish and English, is a declaration immediately above the signature block that says, among other things: I am a U.S. citizen and I certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the state of California that all the information on this form is true and correct.
If one is not sworn in, one is not a citizen. If one is not a citizen, one cannot register. That’s clarity. The registration form does not say, “I am, or soon will be, a U.S. citizen.”
The citizenship test requires a certain level of literacy. Therefore fraudulent voter registration could have happened only under one of two circumstances. The citizenship candidate either had help taking the test (not likely due to Immigration and Naturalization Service monitoring), or had misleading “help” completing the voter registration form.
People who register voters get paid bounties. It is unconscionable that anyone would induce another to violate election laws for pecuniary or political gain. To jeopardize a patron’s citizenship status for such gain is immoral, illegal or both.
On these issues both the law and our sense of morality are clear. It remains for our justice system to determine if the allegations are true.
To intimate that it all happened because of a lack of clarity is to absolve the people who have apparently exploited their clients. If true, the clients will be the big losers, as it may cost them not only their citizenship but also their residency status.
BRUCE CRAWFORD
Fountain Valley
* Patently evident is The Times’ continuing bias against the immigrant advocacy organization Hermandad Mexicana Nacional for seemingly little reason other than the petulant whining of sore losers Robert Dornan and others.
Responsible journalism demands consideration of the effects of what is and what is not reported.
Your investigation utilizing “expert evidence” compiled by the Fair Elections Group out of a total of more than 100,000 registered voters represents a set of odds that can only charitably be compared with repeatedly winning the lottery.
Professionals don’t hide behind notorious “sources said.” Why is the lure of perhaps four improper votes so much more seductive than the nearly quarter of a million people being denied naturalization due process or the hordes of district attorney’s office investigators threatening dozens of U.S. citizens with deportation if they didn’t fabricate charges against Hermandad?
The pompous posturing that “organizations that guide immigrants in becoming citizens have a special obligation to know and make absolutely clear what the law is” [Jan. 21 editorial] is laughingly hypocritical. Do you really think that community volunteers in full view of government agents have a “special responsibility” to be more responsible than the Immigration and Naturalization Service itself?
Place whatever blame that may exist where it belongs. The ultimate responsibility for noting and correcting any improprieties fell to numerous observing INS agents who you would have us believe just sat there collecting a paycheck for not doing their job.
Indeed, it seems that the wrongdoing came at the slippery hands of government itself: friends of the Dornan campaign using intelligence clout to violate privacy rights.
If there were substance to [former Rep. Robert K. Dornan’s claims of] “widespread voter fraud” we would have heard about it already. Instead, months later, what we have is the inability of the registrar of voters to validate Dornan’s complaints and hence Dist. Atty. Michael Capizzi’s pathetic attempts to wrest an indictment out of a few hapless new citizens, for which we should all be ashamed.
We shouldn’t be surprised that The Times stands behind the Dornan vendetta in calling for the continued suspension of naturalization interviews at Hermandad. Never mind that the location’s propriety has never been challenged and that anyone at Hermandad has yet to be charged with a crime other than assisting the most productive efforts in producing new citizens.
As long as we’re tossing out the window such constitutional protections as free speech and press, privacy and due process, it seems that the loss of presumption of innocence is just one more valuable tool in the valiant war against Spanish-speaking immigrants. The Times shouldn’t be using Dornan’s crystal ball for insight into issues affecting the Latino community because it contains obvious occlusions that cloud objective journalism.
ARTURO MONTEZ
President
League of United Latin American Citizens
Santa Ana chapter
* No apology is required! Hermandad Mexicana Nacional, the workers and the immigrants involved need not apologize for the past inappropriate use of the voters’ registration forms in the 46th Congressional District election this past fall.
The continuous bashing of Latinos by the media, prominent Republicans and a sector of the Anglo community of Orange County has created a backlash in the Latino immigrants’ community.
They then were quick to grasp the best available venue and that was to become citizens and then to place their imprint in the sands of time for all of America to view and to take note, and that was by voting.
There was no intent to commit fraud. They were all ready to vote on the first day that they signed up for citizen classes. All they were were waiting for was an official, any official to say, “Now sign here and go vote.” Someone (an instructor) said, “ . . . You have successfully completed your citizenship program and all you have to do now is to fill out this form and you can vote in the November election.”
The citizenship student did not have any reason to disbelieve, to question what he considered an official. How could he question? There was an official from the INS in plain view and in the same building. Everything had to be correct and proper. Why would or should there be any questions?
LORENZO LUERA
Westminster
* It has been stated that 19 individuals passed their interviews with the Immigration and Naturalization Service to become U.S. citizens.
However, because of a misunderstanding of the congratulatory letters sent to them by the INS, they did not realize they were not eligible to register to vote until they had attended a swearing-in ceremony. The INS has since formulated a new letter.
Why then has this incident, caused by the original unclear INS letter, been used as a justification to raid the offices of Hermandad Mexicana Nacional, confiscating materials and equipment for their newspaper and seizing their computer files and membership lists.
Why is The Times, instead of condemning this attack on Hermandad’s basic democratic rights, actually applauding such a vile action. Hermandad Mexicana Nacional has committed no crime. The Orange County district attorney and the secretary of state certainly have.
AL APPEL
Huntington Beach
