House inquiry into Orange County vote has dragged on too long

When Congress returns from its summer break next month, the House Oversight Committee should accelerate and complete its inquiry into the election that put Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) into office.

It has been nine months since Sanchez defeated Robert K. Dornan by the razor-thin margin of 984 votes. Investigations by The Times and the California secretary of state’s office have shown that some immigrants had registered or voted before becoming citizens, in violation of the law. Still, nothing has yet shown that illegal votes were cast in numbers large enough to overturn the election results. Indeed, there has been no finding on how many of the improper votes went to Sanchez.

Last week a number of Latino members of Congress and advocacy groups demanded an end to the investigation. They contended the inquiry was an attempt to “create a chilling effect on Latino voters.” While an immediate end to the committee’s probe may be premature, speeding up matters in Congress is certainly in order. Separate state investigations such as the secretary of state’s could lead to criminal charges and should continue, because voting fraud is a serious matter. But these probes would not affect the election itself.

The House committee--six Republicans and three Democrats--can order a new election if it finds extensive voter fraud. Sanchez has already been in office seven months; the next election is only 15 months away. The voters deserve better than inordinate delays.