Thursday, February 4, 2021

What Should Be Done to Bring Back Election Integrity?

             The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is the topic of election fraud and the possibility for free and fair elections. Any honest person will admit that there was election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Democrats first claimed that there was no fraud. They then admitted that there was fraud but declared that it was not widely spread. They finally admitted that there was wide-spread fraud, but there was not enough to change the election results. How do they know? How does anyone know?

            The Heritage Foundation has proof that election fraud has been happening for numerous elections, and they say that election fraud is “real.” In their Election Fraud Database, there are “more than 1,300 cases of election fraud, [which] proves that election fraud does occur in American elections.” The cases include “Errors and omissions by election officials and careless, shoddy election practices and procedures or lack of training can also cause and have caused problems for voters and candidates alike.” Hans von Spakovsky at The Heritage Foundation says that “it doesn’t have to be this way” and suggests the following ways that States can “take action to restore integrity to our elections.” 

1. Verify the accuracy of voter registration lists. Computerized statewide voter registration lists should be designed to be interoperable so that they can communicate seamlessly with other state record databases to allow frequent exchanges and comparisons of information….


2. Verify citizenship of voters. Only lawful citizens can vote in federal elections. States should, therefore, require proof of citizenship to register to vote, as well as verify the citizenship of registered voters with the records of the Department of Homeland Security, including access to the E-Verify system.


3. Require voter ID. A voter should be required to validate his or her identity with government-issued photo ID to vote in-person or by absentee ballot (as states such as Alabama and Kansas require). Government-issued IDS should be free for those who cannot afford one.


4. Limit absentee ballots. Absentee ballots should be reserved for those individuals who are too disabled to vote in person or who will be out of town on Election Day and all early-voting days.


5. Prevent vote trafficking. Vote trafficking (also called “vote harvesting”) by third parties should be banned. That would ensure that candidates, campaign staffers, party activists, and political consultants are prohibited from picking up and potentially mishandling or changing absentee ballots and pressuring or coercing vulnerable voters in their homes….


6. Allow election observers complete access to the election process. Political parties, candidates, and third-party organizations should all be allowed to have observers in every aspect of the election process, because transparency is essential to a fair and secure system. The only limitation on such observers is that they cannot interfere with the voting and counting process….


7. Provide voting assistance. Any individuals providing assistance to a voter in a voting booth because the voter is illiterate, disabled, or otherwise requires assistance should be required to complete a form, to be filed with poll election officials, providing their name, address, contact information, and the reason they are providing assistance. They should also be required to provide a photo ID.


8. Prohibit early vote counting. To avoid premature release of election results, the counting of ballots, including absentee and early votes, should not begin until the polls close at the end of Election Day … [or] base the release of results until the evening of Election Day, subject to criminal penalties.


9. Provide state legislatures with legal standing. State legislatures must ensure that they have legal standing – either through a specific state law or through a constitutional amendment, if that is required – to sue other state officials, such as governors or secretaries of state, who make or attempt to make unauthorized changes in state election laws….

            Adoption of the nine suggestions stated above would go far to bring integrity back to American elections. However, they do not go far enough. Von Spakovsky suggested two actions that States should NOT take:

1. There should be no same day registration for voting. Registration should be required before Election Day to give election officials sufficient time to verify the accuracy of the registration information contained on a registration form and to confirm the eligibility of potential voters.


2. There [should not] be automatic registration. States should comply with the National Voter Registration Act and provide registration opportunities t state agencies. However, all individuals should be asked at the time of the state agency transaction, such as the application for a driver’s license, whether they want to register to vote. No one should be automatically registered without their consent or knowledge….

            It was President Barack Obama who coined the phrase, “Elections have consequences.” Time has proven the truth of that statement. There was once a time when there was not much difference between the administration of a Democrat and the administration of a Republican. Both parties wanted to maintain the Constitution and to do what was best for the nation. The only difference was how they chose to do it. This is no longer true.

            Progressives and socialists have invaded the Democrat Party in mass numbers and have taken control of the party. They have also invaded the Republican Party, but their numbers there seem to be fewer. Republicans still fight to maintain a constitutional and American way of life, while Democrats want to change the Constitution and move the nation toward socialism.

            Elections truly do have consequences. This is the reason why elections must be free and fair with total integrity. Americans must be free to choose the kind of nation they want to have. If integrity is not restored to the elections, Americans will no longer have faith in them.

 

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