Voting Irregularities

“A Modern Democracy That Can’t Count Votes” (Dec. 11) was remarkably silent about voting irregularities in California, which most assuredly exist. On election day, I drove several first-time voters to the polls in a heavily Latino precinct in Ventura County. Three of those voters were told by poll officials that their names were not on the voter list. In each instance, I persuaded the county election officers to look harder at the list and their names were found.

All of these individuals were newly naturalized citizens and had faithfully listed both their paternal and maternal last names on their voter registration cards, for example, Juan Martinez Lopez (I have changed the name for this example). The election officers only looked under the name “Lopez” on the official county list and sent him away without voting because he was listed under “Martinez.” Incidentally, none of the three was offered the opportunity to vote by provisional ballot.

Given California’s demographics, God only knows how many Latino voters were similarly denied the right to vote due to sloppiness, ignorance or worse on the part of local election officials.

KARL LAWSON

Camarillo