Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Congressman Wittman failed to show at the Middlesex County for the NAACP Candidate Community Forum on Thursday, Sept. 22. I understand he didn’t respond to his invitation, nor offer regrets. Herb Jones and David Foster, also running for Congress for Virginia Congressional District #1, were front and center. Both provided perspectives, responded to questions and thus gave the attendees valuable insight into each candidate and their differences. While the forum was very informative, it would have been more so, if Wittman had come to defend his record.

That week, Congressman Wittman voted against H.R. 8873: Presidential Election Reform Act, which will tighten federal procedures to preserve the vote as cast in each state’s federal elections. The act did pass with Republican support, but not Congressperson Wittman’s. This act will strengthen our democracy.

On another note, in a procedural vote last week, Senate GOP blocked the DISCLOSE Act. This act would ...