Letters to the Editor | Aug. 22, 2023

I previously was a judge of elections at a Bucks County polling place. I worked with a dedicated team of extraordinary citizens who gave their time and energy to ensure that a free and fair election was held in our community. The team consisted of both Republicans and Democrats, but more importantly, all were Americans who loved our democracy. Everything we did was transparent to all during the long day of tedious work. When the polls closed, votes were tallied and written for all to see on official forms. Poll watchers were invited from both parties to watch the entire process to ensure every vote was correctly accounted for and documented. A copy of the vote tallies was even placed outside the building for everyone to see.

Lately, there have been unsubstantiated and relentless attacks on the integrity of our voting systems on the part of the party that lost the 2020 presidential election. These critics obviously don’t understand the excellence of our voting systems and the dogged commitment of election officials to truth and fairness in our elections.

I wish that candidates who lose and lack the maturity to accept the reality of their loss would refrain from disseminating misinformation about our election processes. Their self-serving lies erode the confidence the American people have in our precious system of government as well as insult thousands of our neighbors who work so hard on Election Day to carry out the difficult, tedious, but rewarding work of our great democracy.

Steve Cickay, Newtown

Article 14, Section 3 of the Constitution has been in the news of late. It states that no one who was a participant, planner, or promoter of insurrection against the United States can hold a federal political office. Some very well-respected legal scholars have asserted that this provision should be used to disallow Donald Trump from becoming president again. This is a serious argument and deserves to be tested in court. Arguably, Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021, promoted the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. If so, he should be disqualified from assuming the office of the president ever again.

Ken Derow, Swarthmore

As the prospect of a rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden looks possible — despite my daily prayers — I fervently hope that neither of them are the candidates chosen to represent their respective parties in the 2024 presidential election. It is almost as if there is a sign-up sheet somewhere for participating in America’s race to the bottom. Trump or Biden? Is that the best we can do?

The political landscape has been radically different in the country since 2001. The tenor of political debate has changed. The American people have changed drastically. A pundit once observed: “The point of modern propaganda is not only to misinform or push an agenda. It is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate the truth.” Sadly, we are in a post-truth era in American politics. Both Trump and Biden are pathological liars.

The old standards for evaluating a president — integrity, competence, wisdom, and experience — seem antiquated. Partisans in both parties want their leaders to put tribe over truth. Until that changes, this country is in serious trouble.

Father Tom Heron, Norristown

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