To the Editor:
“Trump, in an Escalation, Calls for Republicans to ‘Nationalize’ Elections” (nytimes.com, Feb. 2) is not only validation of your Feb. 1 editorial warning of an effort to interfere with the midterm elections, but also a wake-up call for America: Donald Trump may actually believe that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
We once had a president who avowed, “I am not a crook,” and now we have a president who is demonstrably delusional and will use all the powers of the presidency to act on those delusions. The Republican Party helped save us the previous time; will it continue to bend to the delusions of Mr. Trump at the expense of the very foundation of our democracy?
David Simpson Rindge, N.H.
To the Editor:
President Trump actually has a point about nationalizing elections, though perhaps not in the way he thinks he does. Our current system generally works pretty well, in that each state runs its own elections. This makes total sense for statewide offices, the House and the Senate; it would be stupid, for example, for non-New Yorkers to be able to vote for the members of Congress who would represent New York.
The office of president is different, though. The presidency and the vice presidency are the only offices for which voters in all states cast ballots. As we have seen over the last few elections, the differences in the way each state runs its elections can cause problems. It occurred to me a while back that presidential elections might run more smoothly if governed by the same set of rules and procedures in all states.
That would suggest that either the Federal Election Commission or (preferably) a nonpartisan group should oversee presidential balloting, with House, Senate and statewide elections left to the states. By having one consistent set of rules that applies in all states, we could avoid problems like hanging chads, some states allowing mail-in ballots while others do not, and so on.
Kevin J. O’Conner Bremerton, Wash.
To the Editor:
Re “This Is Not a Drill,” by David French (column, Feb. 3):
Mr. French is sending what may be the most important message we will receive in 2026. The F.B.I.’s raid of an election office in Georgia is the first step in President Trump’s plan to nationalize voting in 15 states. Donald Trump is terrified of losing control of Congress in November, and will stop at nothing to see that Republicans keep their majorities in the House and the Senate.
The ICE agents terrorizing Democratic cities are there ostensibly to carry out their mission to remove undocumented immigrants, but they are Mr. Trump’s tools to keep minorities away from the polls. Mr. Trump has already suggested canceling the midterm elections altogether, but beyond that wild idea, he could invoke the Insurrection Act and order the military into mostly Democratic cities.
This is definitely not a drill. It is a wake-up call to take action before it is too late.
Henry A. Lowenstein New York
To the Editor:
I find David French’s column to be more disturbing than anything I’ve read by Clive Barker or Stephen King. Congratulations, Mr. French. You have succeeded in alarming me out of my complacency!
Scott Bobo Decatur, Ga.
What It Means to Be a Naturalized American
To the Editor:
Re “You Can’t Denaturalize Me,” by Carlos Lozada (column, Jan. 25):
Mr. Lozada’s excellent essay about what it means to be a naturalized American moved me deeply. It reminded me of my late father, Eddy Courts.
A Jewish engineer and composer, born in Poland and educated in France, he managed to escape from Europe during World War II and find his way to Brazil before marrying and settling in the United States in 1946.
Here, he raised a family while writing music and founding a company with offices around the world, earning a presidential “E” award for excellence in exports along the way.
But his proudest moment was when he became a U.S. citizen, swearing allegiance to a country he had admired his whole life. Eager to assimilate, he nevertheless recalled with wonder and appreciation that the judge presiding over his naturalization ceremony enjoined the group of new Americans:
“Do not forget your own cultures and traditions. Sing your songs. Make your foods. Speak your languages. Your ideas, your energy, your courage make us all stronger.”
If only we saw more of that sentiment today.
Isabelle Hunter Norwalk, Conn.
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