Letter to the Editor
The Republican tactic to suppress the vote of Democrats in swing states might backfire on them and cost them more votes than they gain. The Republicans are making an all out effort in key states to keep Democrats from voting. In Ohio for example, Republicans are sending "election challengers" to polling places to slow down the voting process and intimidate voters in Democratic areas only. They are challenging the thickness of paper required for voter registration. The have used Republican owned companies to sign up Democrats and then destroy the registrations. Republican impersonating election officials have called Democratic voters to give them wrong information about where their polling place is.
Although these tactics will succeed in reducing the Democratic vote it might offend Republicans and Independents who feel that it is wrong to cheat to win. Some people have a basic sense of fairness and honesty believing that everyone who is eledgable to vote should be allowed to exercize their constitutional rights to vote in free and fair elections. These people might be turn off by cheating and vote against the Republican party.
So the question is - will the Republicans gain or lose from this. Clearly they think cheating works. But I wonder, now that they are being watched closely, if the same tactics that got Bush elected in 2000 will work again in 2004.