Dornan-Sanchez Vote Probe

Your bold assertion in the Feb. 5 editorial that “the inescapable conclusion for some time has been that any voting irregularities in this 46th Congressional District election, which [Rep. Loretta] Sanchez won by 984 votes, were not sufficient to turn the tide” [raises] questions from a registered voter in that district:

Why is the fact that the House investigation documented 748 [improper] votes in my district buried on Page 19 of your fluff article beginning on Page 1, “House Gives Sanchez Reason for Celebration”?

Why do you characterize [allegedly] illegal voting as “voting irregularities”?

Given that Sanchez’s margin of victory was 236 votes, after she, her campaign and supporters consistently stonewalled the investigation by refusing to respond to subpoenas and playing the Hispanic “race card,” how can you assert that it was an “inescapable conclusion” that she would prevail?

HERBERT P. KUNOWSKI

Garden Grove

* Let’s hope Dana Parsons is right about former Rep. Robert K. Dornan’s political career being finished (Feb. 4 column).

Orange County will no longer have to be humiliated by his outrageous shenanigans in Congress.

If Dornan were a gentleman, which is questionable, he would apologize to Sanchez and the Latino community for the pain and suffering he has put them through. At the very least, he should be made to pay for the cost of the investigation. I resent tax dollars being spent to feed his ego.

Sanchez has been doing a good job for the 46th District even while being harassed. She should be even better now that she is out from under Dornan’s cloud.

ELEANOR HALDANE

Anaheim

* Re: “House Plans to Drop Dornan’s Vote Challenge,” Feb. 4:

I am not a Republican, nor a past or present fan of Bob Dornan, but I still highly respect values of truth, justice and the American way.

It appears Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove), Hermandad Mexicana Nacional, all Latino immigrant advocate groups and Clintonian groupies have achieved victory.

Considering their demonstrated abilities to facilitate noncitizen voting, ignore and stonewall government subpoenas and play the well-worn race card against Republican opponents, victory in future elections should be the proverbial walk in the park.

It is truly a sad situation indeed for our state and federal election process when one has to show positive proof of identification to cash a check but can mail an absentee ballot and vote without any identification to elect an official to a government office.

If Sanchez did win the election by garnering more legitimate votes, that’s fine. But it was never proved. What was proved was that there were several hundred noncitizen votes cast. That is the real issue all law-abiding and legitimate citizens of all races should be seriously concerned with.

MAX ST. YVES

Newport Beach

* The House of Representatives has finally conceded that their $3-million investigation into possible vote fraud in the 46th District was a waste of taxpayer funds. It has dropped Bob Dornan’s challenge to Loretta Sanchez’s election.

It may be that Republicans see the November 1998 elections and can’t very easily ask Hispanics to support GOP candidates while at the same time supporting Dornan’s continual attempts to cut off the political power that those Hispanics finally wielded in 1996 to throw him out of office.

Perhaps the GOP thinks that voters will forget their connection to the racist investigation in a few months. Dornan’s attorney is the head of the state GOP. He can hardly claim the investigation they pursued, using taxpayer funds, was Dornan’s idea.

In any event, I applaud [Republicans] now for finally recognizing that Dornan’s challenge was an expensive joke and that Loretta Sanchez was fairly elected and has represented the 46th District well.

Perhaps the next time Dornan calls for the GOP to conduct a racially motivated investigation at taxpayer expense, the leaders will recall how his election fraud bomb fizzled as the camera lights dimmed.

FREDERICK JUDD

Irvine