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It's an Election, Not an Invasion

(Washington Post)Click here for a direct link to the article.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008; A22

I was confused by Shaun Dakin's linkage of political campaigning to privacy rights ["A Privacy Shield Against the Campaigns," op-ed, Sept. 13]. How is a phone call an invasion of Mr. Dakin's privacy? Certainly, unsolicited calls and visits are annoying. But does the caller or visitor learn something about the target that was not already public?

Mr. Dakin also objects to the disclosure of names and addresses in public databases. This also confuses me. The name and address of every voter are a matter of public record; they have to be to prevent voter fraud. Similarly, campaigns are legally obliged to disclose the names and addresses of contributors to prevent bribery and undue influence on elected officials. And most Americans already have their names, addresses and phone numbers widely published. I don't recall any court ruling that phone books are unconstitutional.

I agree that heavy-handed campaign tactics are annoying, and I applaud Mr. Dakin's group for trying to discourage them. But I'm skeptical about the advisability of further regulations on political campaigns.

RICHARD MEREAND

Washington