To the Editor:

This in response to the Tuscaloosa News Editorial “Vote Fraud Must be Halted in Black Belt,” published on May 31, 2006.

The Tuscaloosa News is to be congratulated for doing their part in bringing voter fraud to the public’s attention.

The Democracy Defense League (DDL) would only offer a couple of benevolent corrections:

Upon founding the DDL, every charter member (125 of us) understood voter fraud to be a statewide problem, and because all local and state elections are governed by state law, we knew solutions were not to be found at the local level.

The DDL was organized to fight for honest elections everywhere in Alabama (we now have membership in 38 Alabama counties).

While lack of enforcement of current voting regulations laws should certainly be an embarrassment to the Attorney General (Troy King) and Secretary of State (Nancy Worley), it is worth noting that current laws are overwhelmed with loopholes, omissions, and conviction penalties that offer practically little deterrence.

To date,

the only elected state official to publicly recognize voter fraud as an ominous threat to our democracy is State Auditor and Secretary of State candidate Beth Chapman.

Kudos to her!

Early in 2005, members of DDL met with Attorney General Troy King and asked him to become a public proponent for stricter voting and voter registration laws.

King declined without comment.

The goal of the DDL is to form a statewide organization that will allow us to apply pressure to State Senators and Representatives at their district levels.

These elected officials will not clean up our voting mess voluntarily.

Ronnie Crawford and Perry Beasley,

Co-Chairman

Democracy Defense League

Greensboro