Our nation as a whole is in serious need of voting reform. I have been closely following the recount in Minnesota between Norm Coleman (R) and Al Franken (D) in the Senate race. Norm Coleman holds a 180-vote lead with mainly Minneapolis precincts left to finish their recount. I would not be surprised to see enough new votes found in Minneapolis to give the election to Franken. It is indeed a problem that votes can be manufactured out of thin air as it happened in Washington (state) four years ago in the governors race where more people voted in Seattle than were actually registered. However, the real problem is the absence of a system to verify voter eligibility. In Minnesota, no ID is required to vote and it is in fact illegal to do ask for it. It has been reported that in Hennepin county (where I lived as a grad student) 25% of all votes were same day registrations. This allows no time to validate any of these registrations. No one can know how many illegals voted, how many students from Wisconsin cross over to vote (yes, it has happened), or how many extra votes were slipped into the voting machines when no one was looking.
I think it is not too much to ask voters to register at least a week in advance and to show a valid ID at the polls. The moment such a proposal is made, conservatives are accused of trying to suppress the vote. All conservatives are asking for is a fair vote. This stealing of elections must stop and it would be easy to do so, but it does not serve the interests of the Democrat party because it is the primary beneficiary of voter fraud.
2 comments:
I would agree that a more proof positive action needs to be taken. If anyone disagrees or does not want to jump through a hoop or two for the privilege of voting then they probably shouldn't be able to vote legally anyway.
Voter reform has been a concern for decades. As technology becomes more dominant and as our politics become even more partisan as is obviously the current tendency, voter fraud will increasingly be a concern. The states of Florida and Washington have been prime examples on both sides.
I favor registering of course, proving who you are, and maximum ease in registration. A week seems reasonable to me. I am very interested in Oregon's mail in voting, but as Alan says, validation and verification are primary concerns.
I favor non-partisan oversight (is that possible in the United States?) just as I favor non-partisan committees to establish voting districts of all kinds.
Both sides have been accused of voter fraud or manipulation. Alan hears horror stories from the right and I hear them from the left.
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