To the Editor:

Re “Electors Affirm Biden’s Victory; Vote Is Smooth” (front page, Dec. 15):

During the House impeachment hearings of President Trump, Republican members said, “Let the voters decide.” During the trial by the Senate that followed, Republicans said, “Let the voters decide.”

During the final year of President Obama’s administration the exceptionally qualified Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland was never allowed consideration in the Senate because, as Mitch McConnell said, “Let the voters decide.”

The voters weren’t allowed that decision a few weeks before the 2020 election when Republicans rushed Amy Coney Barrett through.

Finally, last month, the voters were given the opportunity to decide, and decided decisively. When will all the Republicans accept that fact?

Libby Treadwell
Ojai, Calif.

To the Editor:

I am a lifelong Democrat, so it isn’t easy for me to say this: For the good of the country, I wish President-elect Joe Biden had spent more time talking to Republicans during his Monday night speech to the nation after the Electoral College vote. Democrats may have their internal squabbles, but they are nothing compared with what Republicans are going through.

Too many Republicans still can’t bring themselves to even publicly admit that Joe Biden will be the next president. They still go to sleep praying Donald Trump’s crackerjack lawyers will find a way to reverse the outcome of the November election.

Considering that I’ll be a major league baseball player before that happens, there is no time to lose. Democrats and Republicans must find common ground. There is no better place to start than winning the war against the deadly coronavirus.

Republicans must understand that America cannot survive as a divided nation. I urge — no, I beg — the leadership of the G.O.P. to unite behind Mr. Biden now. Believe me, you will have plenty of time to gear up politically for the 2024 presidential election. But now is not the time.

Denny Freidenrich
Laguna Beach, Calif.

The Suffering of Asylum Seekers

To the Editor:

Re “As Biden Prepares to Take Office, a New Rush at the Border” (news article, Dec. 14):

The projected “humanitarian crisis” is already a reality. But it is not due to an increase in border crossers. It’s the consequence of President Trump’s assault on asylum at the border, which places thousands of people, including children, in continuing danger.

A tepid response by President-elect Joe Biden to Mr. Trump’s fear-mongering on immigration would only further asylum seekers’ suffering and entrench unlawful policies.

False rhetoric about a “surge,” meant to evoke images of invading hordes, is inflammatory and further harms asylum seekers. Border apprehension numbers are often analyzed without historical context, feeding a narrative that any increase equals a crisis.

In 2019, the Trump administration claimed a crisis to justify its cruelty. Yet apprehensions were far higher in 2000, and border agencies now wield over twice the agents and a more than $16 billion budget. We have the resources to receive all migrants humanely and fairly.

Even if numbers rise, solving this humanitarian crisis by ending Trump policies must be prioritized above dramatic spin. Lives depend on it.

Shaw Drake
El Paso
The writer is a staff attorney and policy counsel on border and immigrants’ rights for the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas.

Women’s Sports Arrive

To the Editor:

Re “The Year When Everybody Loses” (Sports, Dec. 14):

There is a silver lining to the upside-down world of men’s sports: the recognition of women’s sports, which for too long have been hanging out on subscription platforms, high-tiered cable channels, internet audio or no access at all.

Women’s games are now being broadcast on more accessible channels, and astute sports fans are being treated to the thrill of these games. Bubble seasons have already been played by the Women’s National Basketball Association and the National Women’s Soccer League.

The National Women’s Hockey League games have been live-streamed on Twitch, but in these days of Covid, maybe there will be a game or two on ESPN.

Peg Pickering
Camden, Maine