Spoiled Florida Ballots’ Effect on Republicans

“GOP Was the Real Victim in Fla. Vote” (Commentary, Nov. 12) is most irresponsible. While John R. Lott Jr. and James K. Glassman may have reason in their numbers to claim that black Republicans may have been intentionally targeted as a group to have invalid ballots, their overall point is simply ludicrous.

They state that because black Republicans were more likely to suffer spoiled ballots than black Democrats, the “reasonable conclusion” is that George W. Bush was more penalized by this than Al Gore in the voting. This even when they acknowledge that only 1 in 20 black voters was Republican.

The fact is that if all double-punched or other spoiled ballots were simply counted, Gore would have won the election.

Louis Shaffer

Crolles, France

*

Why, now, when so much has happened the last two months must there still be debate on what happened in Florida? All I can say is thank God for President Bush. It scares me to death to think how this country would be functioning with Gore at the helm. Could it have been divine intervention?

Mark Roschke

Oak Park