In the last year as Democrats have tried to oppose all efforts to ensure the integrity of the vote in the fall election, they have derided voter ID laws as not only racist in motivation but also unnecessary. Though the basic proposition that anyone who shows up at the polls ought to be able to prove they are who they say they are and are registered voters seems like common sense, liberals have claimed such measures are utterly superfluous because voter fraud is not a problem in the United States. And because there is no problem to be fixed, any effort that might stop those not qualified to vote from casting ballots is, they claim, rooted in prejudice and aimed at “suppressing” the minority vote. One would think that the long history of election fraud in this country which dates back to the colonial era and was a staple of machine politics in the 20th century would have caused Democrats to stop making such weak claims. But they are undaunted and have even gone so far as to assert that efforts to hold Attorney General Eric Holder accountable for his failures and stonewalling in the Fast and Furious scandal are evidence of the Republicans’ desire to get back at him for opposing voter ID laws.
But in case the Democrats needed a reminder about why voter integrity laws are necessary, they have just gotten one from a stalwart of the Congressional Black Caucus and a leading opponent of such measures. Charles Rangel’s “victory” in the Democratic primary in which he sought to ensure for himself a 22nd consecutive term in Congress from New York is being disputed by his opponent, State Senator Adriano Espaillat, who claims what took place last week was a “phantom election” in which Board of Elections officials may have “hidden” votes. Ironically, Espaillat also claims that not only is the vote count in question but that Rangel’s forces may have suppressed the Hispanic vote by reassigning bilingual poll watchers and turning some voters away by requesting they identify themselves.
That voter fraud and other shenanigans might have taken place in the district which stretches from Harlem to The Bronx will surprise no one familiar with the grand traditions of New York politics. Nor is there anything particularly innovative about the allies of an establishment figure like Rangel working within the system to make it more difficult for a challenger to take him on.
Given the way these things generally work in New York, we may never know whether Espaillat actually beat Rangel. Nor can we be sure whether the voters allegedly turned away at the polls were really ineligible (in which case Espaillat’s camp was trying to game the results). But what we do know is that wherever politicians and their friends are tempted to cheat, that is exactly what they will do. The stakes involved in such races are high, and anyone who assumes Rangel or any other entrenched officeholder will not stoop to twist, bend or otherwise mutilate the results in order to hang on knows nothing about American political history or politicians.
All of which is a reminder of why voter integrity measures are necessary. Moreover, the fact that Rangel’s allies were prepared to challenge the identity of potential votes for Espaillat not only shows why such measures are reasonable, it also illustrates why greater attention to voter fraud–no matter who might be doing it–is vital. That a race involving the senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus should prove this point isn’t just a form of poetic justice. It also shows just how transparently fraudulent the claims made by Democrats against voter ID laws have been.
The author of this column confuses the issue by conflating, on the one hand, voter fraud committed by individual voters, with voter suppression and election fraud, on the other. Republicans have used the pretext of massive fraud committed by individuals, for which they have no significant evidence, to institute roll-purging and voter ID measures designed to suppress the vote. n nIn the case of the Rangel – Espaillat election, Espaillat in fact alleges that Rangel borrowed from the Republican handbook: that he or his supporters had some Espaillat supporters wrongfully purged from the rolls, and had Spanish language translators who would have facilitated voters likely to support Espaillat reassigned from precincts where they were needed. Espaillat has now filed a lawsuit seeking a remedy not unlike that which Al Gore sought after the 2000 presidential election: to have a well-monitored, accurate count of the votes take place without partisan interference. That demand seemed reasonable then and it seems reasonable now.
@adamhollandblog: states are SUPPOSED TO clean the voter rolls. To maintain the integrity of elections, they have to regularly clean them of all people who have no right to vote. This has been done since the founding of the country, and needs to be done. The author may have conflated different types of voter fraud, but it's still fraud: you're trying to conflate voter fraud with regular maintainence – yours is the bigger lie. n nWhich is it? Did Rangel "take a page out of the Republican handbook" or did Espaillat "take a page out of the democrat one"? The truth is, it doesn't matter. People who are not supposed to vote are NOT SUPPOSED TO VOTE. And if you want to run a fair election, you have to screen these people out.
I agree with jrobinson that voter rolls should be properly maintained. The keyword there is "properly". Florida, for example, is currently trying purging their rolls improperly at the direction of Gov. Scott. They are doing the voter purge within 90 days of an election, they are only providing voters with a 30 day window to appeal being purged, the to-be-purged list has been shown to be filled with errors, and the documentation requirements to win an appeal can be burdensome, especially for the elderly, disabled, poor and those who have moved to Florida from out of state. The timing of the purge has the appearance of a voter suppression effort on the scale of that Florida undertook prior to the 2000 general election. In that case, Florida commissioned from a private contractor a list of possible convicted felons which they then used to purge the rolls without proper notice to those purged. It turned out that the list was often based on the most tenuous and flawed evidence: i.e. voters who happened to share the name of a felon, but not birth date, birthplace or Social Security number, were assumed to be a felon and were purged. Some of them not only were prevented from voting in the usual manner, police went so far as to deny them access to the polls to submit affidavit ballots. That sort of voter suppression must not be allowed to happen again. n nIn this congressional primary election, supporters of Rep. Rangel are accused by his opponent of using less onerous means to suppress the vote: denying Spanish-language translators mandated by New York State law, and purging rolls of associates of his opponent are the two techniques cited in the media. If, for the sake of argument, this is true and represents the full extent of the wrongdoing, it hardly rises to Floridian levels, but is still worrisome. If it effects the outcome, even a minor offense rises to a much higher level. All of this should be speedily investigated and adjudicated. n nHaving said all that, we all can agree that people who are not supposed to vote shouldn't. Can we also agree that, those who should be allowed to vote shouldn't be prevented from doing so? If voter fraud is endemic, as Republican officials claim, they should prosecute it. Successful prosecutions for voter fraud would provide proof that the dramatic remedies being attempted by Republicans may be justified. If it isn't endemic, Republicans should stop pretending that it is to help elect their candidates.
…………..BACK OFF nNew York has the best elections money can buy. nUhhhhhhhhh film at 11
i hope that voting integrity is kept in good order, but i am so preoccupied with idea to have off nation elective establishment, maybe UN until we find better or goodier solution,
Gore sought a recount of precincts where he could be sure of friendly vote generation, which he did receive in any case. The real criminality in Florida in 2000 was committed by the Gore crew in illegally disallowing military absentee ballots and several attempts to destroy votes from Republican leaning districts. There is one certain indicator of vote fraud, that is when more votes are cast than registered voters. This is a Democrat phenomenon as in Washington's King county fraud that put Gregoire in office. Fraud is rampant. It is Democratic and it is largely racial in nature. It is truly hilarious to see it reaping rewards among enemies of sense, democracy and decency, by which we mean the Democratic Party.