Voter Fraud

               John Beisner (“Voter Laws don’t make sense” Yuma Sun, January 26, 2014) cites the Presidential Commission on Election Administration to substantiate his claim that the incidence of voter fraud in the United States is inconsequential.  What he fails to tell you is that it was not the intent of the commission to investigate such “partisan issues as voter fraud.”

                The Commission was responding to complaints about the antiquated and cumbersome voting process.  Their investigation hoped to bring “efficiency to voting and devise pragmatic solutions for better "customer service."

               Greg Abbot, the Attorney General of Texas has convicted 50 people voter fraud. At least 46 states have achieved such convictions. Now Mr. Beisner is scoffing:  “Fifty votes.  Big deal!”  However, Abbot points out that, because these cases are hard to detect, what few we manage to prosecute are just the “tip of the iceberg.”

               Most of us remember the Cincinnati woman who bragged on national television about voting 6 times. An investigation into that case showed that 19 other people in Harrison County had also voted several times, and when interviewed they insisted that it was not voter fraud.  Their attitude was “What’s the problem?  Of course we vote as many times as we can.” 

The Ohio Secretary of State concluded that many Ohio counties have more registered voters than residents. Close to 3 million Americans are registered to vote in more than one state. Many states have found selecting juries to be problematic because they find so many names drawn from voter registration rolls have to be disqualified for lack of citizenship. There are over 1.8 million dead people registered to vote in this country and Eric Holder has refused to let the states purge the rolls.

               I take Mr. Beisner’s assertion that voter laws will suppress the vote, “especially those who would tend to vote Democrat” as an admission that most voter fraud is perpetrated by those in his party.  I certainly remember the election of 1960.  Voter fraud in both Illinois and Texas was rampant and indisputable.  Few have much respect for Richard Nixon, but I respect him for refusing to “tear the country apart” by calling for the investigation that leaders of his party insisted on.

               Just as it is bigotry to hold minority children to less rigorous standards, it is bigotry to suggest that some citizens aren’t capable of managing the simple details required by voter identification laws.  One must have identification to do almost anything: get working papers, a marriage license, rent a dwelling, get a credit card, rent a post office box, get insurance.

                As Christopher Paslay says, those truly interested in helping people better their lives, ”navigate and participate in 21^st century society,”  would do everything to help them get proper identification.