There have been many moves in recent years to ensure no voters are disenfranchised. Legislation has been passed to allow for more time to vote leading up to the day of the election. In addition, obtaining and voting by absentee ballot has now become a breeze.
Are these moves, however, making voter fraud so much easier to commit?
According to The Huffington Post, a Nevada Republican was arrested for voter fraud in the 2012 election when she attempted to vote for a second time. Roxanne Rubin, a worker on the Las Vegas Strip, claimed she was testing the integrity of the system. Authorities didn’t buy it, and she ended up with a $2,500 fine.
Fox News also reported Feb. 19 that 19 people are currently under investigating in Ohio for allegedly voting more than once in 2012. In one case, a poll worker openly told a television station she voted twice for President Barack Obama, one by absentee ballot and then again at the polls. Authorities believe it could have been many more times than that. They are investigating the possibility that Melowese Richardson actually voted up to six times. Richardson is one of 19 people suspected of illegal voting by the Hamilton County Board of Elections in 2012.
Is this growing problem likely to end up disenfranchising more voters than it is supposed to help? Is it time to revert to the old system of voting in person, on the day of the election, unless a case for hardship can be proven?
Many voters have giving-up on the process because they know that their vote will not be counted or it would be counted the way the ones in power wanted it to be counted. Some would say that when you have 30% for Romney based on exit polls and the result ends-up being 47%, I would say there is fraud. When the systems were programmed to make the machine count go to Bush, that is fraud. At a Republican controlled voting place where they only hands out Republican ballots. That's voting fraud. Now, what do you call having people wait 5 - 6 hours to vote? I believe you think that you must make it as hard as possible to vote but I see fraud in other places. Who is right depends on the outcome you are looking for.
I favor going back to one day to vote - in person - with an ID. I'm not going to argue the ID issue. It does NOT disenfranchise anyone!! An absentee ballot should only be given to those that will actually be ABSENT (as in away from your district) on voting day. For years and years, people got out to vote on voting day. This giving people a month to vote is ridiculous. If you really want to vote, you will find a way.
Only 48 percent of women have a birth certificate with their current legal name on it. As many as 25% of eligible voters do not have a valid ID. Texas' new ID law permits voters to use concealed-handgun licenses as proof of identity, but not state university IDs. Number of votes cast-2000 to 2010-649 million in general elections Federal convictions for election fraud, 2000-2010: 26 Number of people hit by lightning for same period: 441
Also limit absentee ballots to those who will be out of town on voting day.