February 7, 2012
Another Witness to Voter Fraud
When Rhode Island passed voter-ID into law this past summer, the RI Chapter of the ACLU responded by saying it had been passed "in order to address a non-existent problem of in-person voter fraud". State Representative Charlene Lima, who has introduced a bill in this legislative session to repeal voter ID, told WPRO radio (630AM) that "there is no voter fraud as far as people posing to be someone else at the voter booth".
Given the strong position taken in such claims, the buried lede in Simon van Zuylen-Wood's RI voter ID story at the New Republic website is the author's mention of another Rhode Islander (the first being State Rep. Anastasia Williams) who has directly witnessed vote fraud...
Besides, as Providence College professor of political science Tony Affigne told me, minority legislators who voted for the law weren’t necessarily fabricating their tales of voter fraud—they were just ascribing too much importance to them. “I’ve seen [some voter fraud] with my own eyes,” Affigne told me. “But it’s certainly not the kind of problem that [necessitates] a statewide draconian law.”With the claim that in-person voter fraud doesn't exist having been put convincingly to rest (from a number of different sources), progressives in opposition to voter-ID laws are now left to explain how much cancellation of the votes of law-abiding citizens they accept as being consistent with the principle that every vote counts.
Baloney .
Voting is a right.
Rights aren't dependent on carrying around a photo ID.
I have a right to speak my mind freely, to worship as I please, to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. And I have those rights regardless of whether or not I'm carrying photo ID...or not
We should follow Afghanistans lead...and simply have voters stick their fingers in blue ink, that won't wash off for a month, that way we can easily identify the idiots who do not vote
Posted by: Sammy in Arizona at February 7, 2012 4:56 PMVoting is a right for CITIZENS you idiot.
Read the law sometime.
In certain states convicted felons can't vote.It's never been addressed by the Supreme Court AFAIK.
Sammy,
The discussion does not begin and end with "It's a right". Consider all of the other examples you used for comparison. You have the right to speak your mind freely. You would not say that you were sufficiently able to enjoy that right, if the government designated just one place that you were allowed to go to, on just one day per year, where you were free to express yourself. The same is true for the freedom of religion, or to be free from unreasonable searches etc.
This is fundamentally different from the right to vote. The right to vote clearly has not been denied to someone, when they only get to use it once per year (or per two years) at one place assigned to you by the government, because the right to vote is more than just right to mark a ballot. It is also the right to have the results of a vote counted fairly, which requires some rules & organization for carrying the process out, to prevent anyone from exercising undue influence over the process or distorting the results.
$100 says Sammy the Democratic Troll, with all his yammering on about restriction of voting rights, is in favor of all manner of draconian restrictions on 2nd Amendment gun rights.
Posted by: Dan at February 7, 2012 7:00 PMHey Scumbag Sammy-the right to keep and bear arms is a right so do you favor a "no ID" policy there?
Sure you do.
"Baloney .
Voting is a right.
Rights aren't dependent on carrying around a photo ID.
I have a right to speak my mind freely, to worship as I please, to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. And I have those rights regardless of whether or not I'm carrying photo ID...or not"
Yes Sammy Troll but you don't have the right to yell fire in a building nor worship at Cranston West High School nor resist the police when they seize you illegally. And why not a troll might ask? Because they are violations of the law.
Posted by: Max D at February 7, 2012 9:40 PMJust tossing thisinhere because Iwas so amused by it. I was listening to NPR today and caught their take on the Super Bowl. Guess what excited them? Nothing less than the possibility of "human traficking (sp?)" during the run up to the game. Despite additional police, and a squad of detectives, they wern't able to detect even a whiff of it. But, they did go on about it for a 1/2 hour. Didn't we learn anything in our campaign against "white slavery".
Posted by: Warrington Faust at February 7, 2012 9:59 PM