Voter ID and Hacking of Election Data

                Two states have reported hacking incidents of in voter registration systems. The hacking incidents in Arizona and Illinois may prove the importance of stronger laws calling for voter identification laws. The FBI is investigating the hacking in Illinois of 200,000 voter records. The incident in Arizona forced the state to remove its voter registration system from online. Voters are allowed to register online in 31 states and the District of Columbia, and voter ID laws are in place in only 34 states.

                Fred Lucas posted an essay on The Daily Signal discussing the problem with hackers getting in the voter registrations systems in states.  He quotes Hans von Spakovsky as saying that the hacking of election systems in “certain states has the potential to shift an election.”

                “`If it’s an organized effort, and someone hacks into a system and falsely registers bogus voters, you could hire a crew of people to vote multiple times under different names…. That’s a problem for states with no voter ID laws. There is no way to prevent that.’”

                I believe that the only way to prevent hackers from changing elections and nullifying Americans’ votes is to pass laws requiring that individuals register to vote in person and to provide personal identification when registering and again when voting. I show personal identification every time I vote and have done so for many years. I have never been given a ballot without first proving that I am who I claim to be. I am grateful that my state insists on voter identification, and I hope other states adopt realistic laws also. The voting process must have integrity, or it will become irrelevant.