Trump’s Call for a Voter Fraud Inquiry

http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/opinion/trumps-call-for-a-voter-fraud-inquiry.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Pledge to Find Election Fraud Few Say Exists” (front page, Jan. 26):

Congressional Democrats should welcome with open arms Donald Trump’s call for a voter fraud investigation. True, the president’s view on the subject is delusional, but let the Justice Department once and for all officially determine that virtually no voter fraud exists.

That would deprive Republican-controlled state governments from using that false rationale to justify ever more restrictive voter ID laws, which are, in truth, designed to disenfranchise minorities who historically tend to vote Democratic.

PETER WORTMANN

New York

To the Editor:

President Trump is convinced, almost to the point of paranoia, that millions of people illegally voted against him in the presidential election, handing Hillary Clinton a victory in the popular vote. How does Mr. Trump know that most voted for Mrs. Clinton? Perhaps they favored Mr. Trump, and their illegal votes handed Mr. Trump his narrow Electoral College victory in key swing states.

DOUGLAS F. CARLSON

San Francisco

To the Editor:

President Trump has indicated that he will initiate an investigation on massive voter fraud. There are two possible conclusions for such an investigation:

1. There was no massive fraud. In that case our president has been involved once again in either delusion, falsehoods, alternative facts or flat-out lies.

2. There was massive fraud. There is no way to know for whom the fraudulent votes were cast. The November elections would need to be declared null and void and new elections called.

CARLOS HOJVAT

Arlington, Va.

To the Editor:

There are tens of thousands of local, state and national elections conducted every cycle, many of them run by professionals, Republicans and Democrats, who do extensive analysis of voter lists and the vote. I think people fail to realize just how much scrutiny of the vote takes place every election.

I’ve personally observed the tabulation of the vote. One of the many factors ensuring our elections’ integrity is the participation of large numbers of people with different agendas. Candidates for state and local office care most about their own races, and if there were any evidence of illegal voting, it would be discovered and exploited.

MARK GOODWIN

San Leandro, Calif.

To the Editor:

What does investigation into voter fraud mean? That President Trump will single out for examination every voter with a Hispanic name? That government officials will go to people’s houses and demand to see birth certificates or naturalization papers?

As for dead people on the rolls and multiple voter registrations, that is because voting rolls aren’t fully updated; it doesn’t mean that dead people voted or that people voted multiple times.

KAREN RUBIN

Great Neck, N.Y.

To the Editor:

The executive order by President Trump to initiate an investigation into election fraud is a distraction. The public and the press should not fall for this or many other such distractions that will be created by the White House. I want the press to keep an eye on the real issues and report them accurately.

KHALID REHMAN

New York

To the Editor:

President Trump’s voter fraud investigation calls to mind Captain Queeg’s strawberry theft investigation in “The Caine Mutiny.” Both weirdly obsessive absurdities call into question fitness for command.

STEVEN T. CORNELIUSSEN

Poquoson, Va.