Vote Fraud Debate

* With the beginning of November, we can anticipate another year of political campaigns, candidates running for office, and propositions being supported and opposed.

In the midst of the coming fury, there is little doubt that the race for the 46th Congressional District will be one of the most highly contested and closely watched. My question is whether it will be fought on the basis of the issues and concerns of its constituents or whether this race will be about who won the previous round.

I hope the allegations and accusations regarding voter irregularities can be resolved soon. The public gnawing over the 1996 race for the 46th Congressional District has been disheartening.

The district is at a particularly important juncture. Many of its residents are recently naturalized citizens. While we await the verdict about alleged illegal voting, it should not be overlooked that many previously voiceless men and women legitimately gained access to the political process. They went to the polls bringing their own hopes and aspirations to bear upon the decisions we make together as a people.

Hopefully, voluntary and civic organizations involved in voter registration will not shy away from immigrant communities. Rather, there should be renewed efforts to ensure that they, as well as every eligible voter, exercise their privileged responsibility to vote.

Those who would seek the seat of the 46th Congressional District must speak to the issues that affect the district. One is the respect for the dignity of human life, especially that of the unborn child. For many reasons, the unborn child continues to be at the crux of the choices this society makes regarding who does or does not belong.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) has consistently chosen to vote with her party rather than represent her district on this fundamental issue of life. Her most recent vote against the ban on partial-birth abortions perpetuates an ethic that can undermine many other issues affecting her community, placing families and the most vulnerable among us at risk.

MSGR. JAIME SOTO

Episcopal Vicar for the Hispanic Community Diocese of Orange