Disenfranchised by Dept. of Justice

I was "disenfranchised" when I read that the U.S. Department of Justice sued Kane County for violating voting rights of Hispanics because last November polling places opened late and many Hispanic voters never got a chance to vote.

Actually, polling places across the county had trouble opening and many voters were unable to vote, not just in Hispanic neighborhoods.

But immigrant rights groups decided to make this a racial issue and brought on the lawyers, as they often do, even though poll watchers brought in during the election at immigrant rights groups' insistence determined no racial bias took place.

Now, in addition to having ballots in Spanish and bilingual election judges, the county has succumbed to their demands and have agreed to provide translators. Voters will even be allowed to bring their own interpreters into the booths with them.

This is nuts. Whatever happened to assimilation? You must be a citizen to vote, which means you can read and write English, so why are Spanish ballots needed in the first place?

No one else is allowed to bring helpers into the booths, not the elderly or disabled, or Chinese or Polish. In a state where showing an ID isn't a requirement to vote, could it be these groups just want more Hispanics voting?

Maybe someone needs to sue the Department of Justice so the rest of us can have more booths so long lines don't prevent us from voting, and all of us can vote at a place that opens on time.

Except there won't be any money left for that, for it will have been spent on translators and attorney fees.

Laura McDaniel

St. Charles