Indecision 2000: Florida Votes

At various times over the past several days both George W. Bush and Al Gore have had complaints about announced winners and irregularities of the election in Florida. Why would any leader with real character want to risk being labeled “the illegitimate president”?

In order to work effectively with Congress, bring dignity and respect to the office of president and avoid ripping the social fabric even more, I see only one option. Leave the emotion out of it! The only fair thing to the candidates and the American people would be to have the entire state of Florida vote again. Of course, both candidates would have to agree in advance to no campaigning and to accept the results of the electoral college.

WARREN SEARLES

Torrance

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Who would have thought that Richard Nixon would put Gore and Bush to shame? Clearly neither of these two small men is suited for this high office. Both apparently put their own egos before the interests of the nation. Bush does not seem to understand that all votes need to be counted properly; Gore not only has this problem, but he also considers the popular vote more important than the electoral college and wants to reverse his party’s previous agreement to the ballot papers in Palm Beach County.

Fat chance of either of them uniting the people, inspiring leadership or bringing about international agreements.

MIKE STRONG

Corona del Mar

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We should invite an international group of observers to oversee the vote in Florida. I think the situation requires it.

ANNA DONLIN

La Crescenta

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I am concerned about the voting irregularities in the presidential race in Florida and fear that a recount alone will not solve the problem. For example, the ballot layout that confused probably more than 3,000 voters in Palm Beach County so that they voted for Pat Buchanan instead of Gore and another 19,000 voters so that they voted for two candidates will not be solved by a simple recount. It seems that all voters who were given the misleading ballot must be allowed to revote. Only then will we know if the count in Florida is truly valid.

PAUL ROBERT APPLEBY

Valley Glen

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I am very frustrated at the situation in Florida. The Democrats’ assertion that they should get another chance to vote is completely ridiculous. Didn’t they think to proofread their ballots before they submitted them? Without exception, every person that I have spoken to about this agrees that they always go back over their ballot to make sure that the candidates and propositions that they checked off were the correct ones. To say that the names weren’t lined up correctly is nothing but a last-ditch effort to rewrite recent history. Bush won, Gore lost. But I guess anything can be debated nowadays, even the truth.

JOHN THATCHER

Orange