Letters

Knapp offers flimsy evidence JFK stole election

George Knapp, Jan 13: "There is ample evidence, for example, that John Kennedy may have prevailed over Richard Nixon with the help of the Chicago Mafia, which employed the votes of a few thousand dead people to put Illinois into the JFK column, thus deciding the election" [Knappster, "Election Reform Shouldn't Be a Partisan Concern"].

There are a number of misconceptions at work here that beg clarification. First, Illinois alone could not have decided the 1960 election. The electoral vote tally was 303 to 219, and Illinois had only 27 electoral votes. You'd have to include the allegations of fraud in Lyndon Johnson's Texas, with its 24 electoral votes, for an election-theft scenario even to begin to be credible.

Second, the Chicago election fraud has generally been laid at the feet of Mayor Richard Daley's powerful Democratic machine; allegations of mob involvement have always been sketchy and not entirely substantiated.

Third, it has never been proven that the irregularities in Chicago were enough to tip the election to Kennedy. A subsequent recount restored nearly 1,000 votes to Nixon--after discovering an overcount for Nixon, not Kennedy, in more than 300 Cook County precincts. True, there are plenty of ways to stuff ballots that a recount wouldn't detect, but whether the Chicago malfeasance could account entirely for Kennedy's 4,500-vote edge has never been conclusively determined.

Fourth, Daley's machinations may have been equalled (and hence, offset) by GOP chicanery in Republican-controlled southern Illinois. Had the Chicago vote been overturned, the Democrats surely would have explored these charges; instead, they have become an obscured footnote.

But the biggest misconception is what may be Knapp's implicit acceptance of a popular myth: that despite all the fraud allegations, Nixon declined to challenge the results and Kennedy's victory went uncontested. In actuality, the Republican Party--probably with Nixon's assent, if not his hidden hand--sought investigations and recounts in 11 states (including Nevada, by the way). The panoply of recounts, court challenges and general controversy in the wake of the 1960 election makes the post-election fallout in 2000 look like a tea party in comparison.

At least Knapp is right about one thing: Republicans are willing and able to raise a stink about a close election loss when they want to.

--Jeremy Parker

Voting system, not fraud, threatens democracy

Regarding the Knappster's recent column on registration hijinks during the last election: Within Nevada, I believe it's the process of voter registration here that is the basic culprit. Why does the otherwise diligent registrar of voters leave it up to unofficial groups like Voters Outreach of America (VOA) and other organizations to sign up voters? What accounting exists to ensure these groups will handle the forms correctly or that they will even be delivered to the registrar? None apparently, as was evidenced by the VOA scandal.

I submit that the only places citizens should register to vote are at the registrar's office, the DMV or at other city, county, or state offices where there are safeguards in place to handle these prized documents. For those people unable to go to any of these registration places, as elections approach the registrar could set up registration tables at the various places where they currently allow early voting. Manned by, or at least overseen by, employees from the registrar's office, there could be enough of these remote registration events to amply cover the region without having to resort to unaccountable groups like VOA. With the registrar's people involved, there would hopefully be far fewer forms rejected due to improper completion (or tossed by unscrupulous agencies), therefore more people given the opportunity to record their vote.

As Knappster underscores, voting is our most prized freedom, and must not be trifled with by anybody with the slightest partisan slant. I am dumbfounded that such a precious thing has been left to such chance by the agency responsible for registration.

--Joe Sutton

Election fraud is just tip of the iceberg

Thanks for the George Knapp column about the need for election reform in the U.S. As if the election results putting "W" back in the Oval Office for another four years weren't depressing enough already!

Isn't it ironic that while "our" government is sacrificing U.S. troops and killing tens of thousands of Iraqis in attempt to "build democracy" and "defend freedom" in the Middle East, it is, at the same time, dismantling the democracy we have here at home?

Besides election fraud in the last two elections, examples of this destruction of democracy here on the homefront abound: Civil liberties are eroding under repressive laws such as the PATRIOT Act. Freedom of Information Act requests are harder to obtain to see what goes on behind closed doors in Washington. Environmental laws such as the Clean Air and Clean Water acts are being rewritten to allow big business to reap record profits while poisoning the earth. Separation of church and state is eroding under pressure from Christan conservatives.

To try to save what is left of our democracy, it is imperative to get involved. Even if it only means writing another check to the ACLU, Sierra Club or Americans United for Separation of Church and State, etc. Our nation is under attack just as surely as Baghdad was. The only difference is the enemy here wears a suit and tie and is trying to pick your pocket, soil your environment and take away your liberties.

--Don Kimball Jr.