Election Fraud

As the culture of our country becomes more progressive, the idea that a single registered voter should receive a single vote in the election process has become an increasingly quaint notion. It seems that it is too much to ask of a person who is about to make a judgment concerning who is best able to lead this country to register at the appointed polling area, and to present with a valid ID at voting time. We have stricter requirements for qualification and identification at the Registry of Motor Vehicles than we do at the polls. In fact, it’s easier to vote than it is to buy a drink or a pack of cigarettes. Do we argue that people are disenfranchised from driving, drinking or smoking for having to present a valid picture ID? A person needs more identification to get a senior price ticket at a movie theatre than they do to vote. Of course, they also have to be alive, which apparently many people who have recently registered to vote are not. It is fraudulent votes that truly disenfranchise voters, canceling out the votes of genuine voters.

Another quaint, anachronistic notion of the democratic process is that ideas and positions are clearly expressed and argued; following which an informed electorate decides by majority vote which set of ideas and positions will be followed during the forthcoming term of the elected official. When a candidate “hides” his position, or otherwise dissimulates, the logical conclusion is that the candidate does not believe that his position has the merit to appeal to the majority of the electorate. When positions are not forthrightly stated by candidates, the electorate is defrauded by the candidate, who seeks power through dissimulation, rather than an opportunity for governance through ideas.

When our elections cease to be an appeal to ideas, and become an appeal to the lawyers, our democracy is in trouble. Election fraud harms us all. It corrodes the core of our liberty.