So . . . There’s No Voter Fraud in America, Eh?
Well, then, explain the fact that former state Rep. Hudson Hallum, a Democrat from eastern Arkansas, and three others are awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit election fraud. He’s now facing up to 5 years in Federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Five others were also charged and apparently are still awaiting trial.
The scheme included buying votes outright, with cash or in-kind bribes; discussions of procuring discounted liquor with which to bribe prospective voters (not executed); illegally providing absentee ballots directly to voters; “helping” people to fill out absentee ballots; and outright destruction of absentee ballots cast for Hallum’s opponent, Kim Felker. All of this is, obviously, illegal as hell.
Did Hallum’s and his co-conspirator’s crimes change the outcome? I think it’s safe to say, “Damn right they did.”
Hallum had a majority of 394 votes to 67 in absentee votes alone in the election in question; no one knows how many votes he bought outright. Hallum won the election by 8 votes.
This is one example of why it’s not necessarily a good idea to bend over backwards to make voting too easy and convenient. In particular, allowing unrestricted voting-by-mail simply because it’s “easy and convenient” just might not be a good idea at all.
Why? Because everything you do to make voting more “convenient” or “easier” almost always presents an additional opportunity for vote fraud. And when there’s an opportunity for fraud, sooner or later someone will attempt it.
This is an excerpt from a Fox News article on Kentucky voter fraud case…
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/07/25/drug-money-funds-voter-fraud-in-kentucky/
“When it comes to vote buying, it’s an everyday thing. … It’s pretty much like jaywalking,” admits former Breathitt County magistrate candidate Michael Salyers, who is now serving time in jail for buying votes in his 2010 race. While the funds in his case did not involve drug money, he describes how he was given $500 and ended up buying about 10 votes. He would meet people seeking to sell their votes in the back room of a local store.
“The sellers in this situation would come to me and ask how much was I paying for votes, and ask me if I was buying votes or whatever, and I told them the most I could pay is $25,” Salyers described to Fox News. “They would go into the machine and cast their vote…They were supposed to vote for me. They would come back to me and I would pay them for going to vote. I had one gentleman come to me and say ‘Mike, I have four votes,’ so he took them to vote and I gave him $100, $25 a vote.”
Salyers says vote buying has been so blatant that, “you used to be able to go behind the voting machine with voters, to make sure that if you bought their vote, that they would vote the way you wanted to.” But the laws were strengthened, and now vote buyers have to trust that the people they pay to cast their ballots vote as they say they will.
Maybe I missed it, but I’m surprised you didn’t cover the video about Jim Moran’s (D) son (and campaign manager) talking about how to commit fraud:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57539706/congressmans-son-resigns-after-voter-fraud-video/
Of course, it’s not just the Democrats:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/25/politics/virginia-fraud-claim/index.html
And then there are over-zealous purges:
http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2012/10/24/news/local/doc5085f15b0788d784162625.txt
All taken together, of course there are attempts at voter fraud and having ID should be something we push for. But it’s pretty clear it’s also a gambit to help Republicans in this current election as it will disproportionately impact minority and Democratic-based voters.
Again, right move, certainly, but the cynical part of me will be tickled pink if it is somehow just as important an issue after the election.
Corruption? Fraud? Gasp! How dare they!!!
I have at my desk a flyer form the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights encouraging people to get driver’s licenses, because it will make roads safer (not), lower the cost of accidents because you are required to have insurance in Illinois if you want to get or keep your license (not), and will increase tax revenues from city stickers and licenses (not).
Note: not is in parenthese because the premise behind each of those statements is baloney.
The real reason for this ‘get your license’ campaign is that photo ID is required at the polling place. I see nothing wrong with that.
Apparently, ICIRR is unaware of, or dismisses, the licenses-for-bribes felony that sent former governor George Ryan to jail for his complicity in that felonious event.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/politics&id=5590427
The trucker who killed six children on US55 south of Chicago could not speak or read English and bought his commercial driver’s license at a testing station.
And apparently, we have a new licenses-for-bribes operation going on:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/14/dmv-bribe-scandal-state-e_n_1093480.html
Now since Illinois has this history, I can only assume that this is just another cheap trick to get people to the polls, who otherwise won’t vote.
I expect to see many, many more charges of voter fraud and corruption involving this election. We are definitely living in interesting times.
There does seem to be a bit of a difference there, Anonymous. The first instance directly involves a campaign official. The second doesn’t.
Both are clearly wrong, and the guilty should burn in either case. However, the direct tie to a campaign is clear in one and tenuous at best in another.
Regarding your third example: I am not a big fan of “rollover registration” based on voting in the last election and have no philosophical problem with periodically “dumping” all registered voters and telling everyone to re-register. I would personally be in favor of having everyone re-register to vote for EVERY routine Federal election (e.g., every two years), as well as a requirement to show both a current voter registration card AND a state or Federal photo ID in order to vote. Voting is indeed a right – but you should be able to prove to a reasonable degree of certainty that you are who you claim to be in order to do so. And if you don’t care enough about voting to get up off your dead ass once every two years and go re-register, well, I don’t really think you should be voting. (Personally, for Federal elections I’d love to see everyone show a US passport as that would also provide proof of citizenship; but at around $140 each that’s not particularly workable.)
Yes, all of that would be a pain in the ass – but life isn’t always “beer and skittles”. And IMO voting is important enough to warrant the effort.
Ah, Cook County, IL – where the dead rise to vote. Along with Alice, TX.
What else did we expect when we scheduled national elections this close to the Day of the Dead? (smile)
Hondo, it’s not just Cook County. It’s Lake County and the other collar counties, too.
#4 Hondo:
You wrote that ‘voting is a right.’
That is incorrect: voting is a privilige reserved for US citizens who have not committed felonies.
At one time, early on, it was only for landowners. And just men. And so on.
The current battle seeks to redefine who may vote: felons, illegals and so on. This may help the Democrats, who only believe destroying America in all its forms.