ACLU Voting Suit

* Re “Suits Seek Uniformity in States’ Vote-Counting,” April 18: The fact that counties with punch card voting appear to have a somewhat higher percentage of under-votes does not necessarily mean that the difference is either entirely or even primarily attributable to the voting method. There are other factors, like demographic differences, that the ACLU does not apparently consider.

The ACLU data show 0.69% under-votes with the best current technology. Thus, of the 2.36% under-voting in counties with punch cards only 1.67% would appear to be reducible by available technology. If all other factors could be eliminated and this entire difference attributed to the voting system, these statistics demonstrate that 98.33% of the population now has no net problem with punch cards. Given this statistic (derived from ACLU numbers), is it fair to lay a $400-million tax on this 98.33% in order to accommodate the 1.67% of the voting population who can’t follow instructions and examine their card before casting their ballot?

JACK ISKEN

Encino