Department of Injustice (5/30/02)
by Dean Hartwell
The United States
Justice Department has announced that it will pursue five complaints about
voting rights violations in the last presidential election. It cannot re-count
votes, but it can validate the concerns of some citizens around the nation.
Three of the lawsuits will be in Florida, where controversy at various polling
places resulted in countless legal actions and an unprecedented Supreme Court
decision.
What are these suits about?
Allegations of voter roll purging? Tossing out of thousands of ballots?
Intimidation of black voters? Complaints were made about these problems loudly
on Election Day. Surely these will be the topics addressed.
Wrong!
All three lawsuits are about language assistance. Admittedly, it is important
for polling places to provide interpreters in places like Florida where it is
the law.
But this was an election not officially decided for almost six weeks because of
contests about the counting of votes. Department of Justice lawsuits based on
complaints about language assistance are a slap in the face to those whose
valid votes did not count.
Of course, Bush did not want recounts then. It is hard to believe he would
re-visit his dubious election now. He would risk coming to the conclusion that
he really did not win, after all. Since politicians survive in their careers by
creating a perception that they can win, admitting defeat is anathema to them.
Sometimes, though, a leader must do the most difficult tasks simply because no
one else will. George W. Bush can either serve as president with many citizens
doubting his legitimacy or he can lead by demanding justice from the department
that bears its name.