Voter Fraud. Fact or Fiction?

This is an issue I've written about for nine years.

Voter Fraud, Fact or Fiction.

Only citizens are allowed to vote in elections on the Federal, State, and Local levels in the U.S. Election officials have an obligation to the best of their abilities to ensure that the voters’ rolls are without error.

Voters are kept on the voter rolls, each time they vote in an election. In this day and age of a more mobile society, the voter rolls are likely less accurate and election clerks don’t have the resources to ensure voter roll accuracy.

What are the current Voter ID requirements?

• 21 states have no voter ID law.
• 16 states have require some form of ID to vote.
• 7 states require a photo ID to vote.
• 8 states have a strict photo ID requirement to vote.

The states that have voter ID requirements, will accept a utility bill or bank statment with the voter’s name and address. Those states that require a photo ID, voters are asked for a photo ID. If unable to provide a photo ID, the voters are allowed to vote by meeting other criteria or being vouched for by another voter with a photo ID. States that have strict photo ID requirements will allow voters who are unable to produce a photo ID to vote via a provisional ballot. That ballot is validated upon the voters return to show a photo ID.

Those groups who are opposed to having voters show a photo ID state that this requirement is an undue burden on potential voters and limits their access to the polls. Our daily activities that require a photo ID include, buying alcohol, boarding an airplane, buying cigarettes, cashing a check, going to the movies, picking up medication, renting cars, using food stamps to name just a few.

Having a photo ID for voting is a standard to which we should strive, and ensuring that the process so that everyone who qualifies to vote has a photo ID should be easy to accomplish. Our election officials need to be preventing election fraud and not having to react after the fact.