Readers React: A 21st Century solution for boosting voter turnout

To the editor: The Times’ editorial and an adjacent Op-Ed article address the same issue: voter turnout. The editorial explains why voter ID laws suppress turnout, and the Op-Ed article asserts that disengaged voters can be readily reclaimed through targeted outreach. (“The new world of voter suppression,” Editorial, Oct. 27)

I maintain that the surest way to increase voter turnout and participation is to make it convenient to vote and to access supportive information. And the best way to make voter research and voting convenient is via online Internet-based voting. Vote anywhere, any time and on any Internet-connected device, including smartphones.

Voter fraud, while minimal, can also be readily addressed by online voting by using a strong voter logon authentication process — even stronger than we all now accept for online banking. Then there would be no need for voter ID laws or any other form of voter intimidation at the polls.

Jeff Drobman, Westlake Village

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To the editor: Anybody who wants to vote does so. If a citizen doesn’t vote, it’s because he doesn’t care.

The Times notes that “only” four instances of voter impersonation in Texas have been caught, but how many haven’t been?

I, an African American, voted for Richard Nixon in 1960 under situations far more difficult than any minority faces today. The only difference is that I cared enough to do what was necessary to vote.

Robert S. Rodgers, Culver City

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To the editor: Our American system has always followed Blackstone’s formulation: that it is better that for 10 guilty persons to go free than for one innocent to suffer.

Thanks to our Supreme Court, we now also follow Roberts’ formulation: that it is better that 600,000 law-abiding Texans may not be able to vote than for four Texans to fraudulently cast ballots.

Andrew M. Weiss, Playa del Rey

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To the editor: I see that The Times’ editorial board believes that the Texas law requiring voters to show a photo ID in order to exercise their right to vote discriminates against those who don’t have such an ID.

Can I then be led to believe that the board also believes that the law requiring people to show a photo ID to exercise their Constitutional right to purchase a firearm in Texas is also discriminatory against those who don’t have such ID?

Hardy Pruuel, Torrance

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