One Person, One Vote, No Exceptions

One Person, One Vote, No Exceptions


We would all like to believe that free and fair elections are a goal
that those from all political stripes support. It seems to only make
sense that all sides would want rules and procedures that prohibit those
who are not qualified to vote from doing so. When a non-citizen votes,
a citizen is disenfranchised. When a person fraudulently casts
multiple votes, valid votes are cancelled out. When a vote is cast on
behalf of someone who is not registered or no longer living, it happens
at the expense of an American who actually participated in the
democratic process.

So everyone is in favor of making sure that votes are only cast by those legally permitted to do so, correct? Not so fast.

It seems that every time an effort emerges to ensure the integrity of
the vote, it is met with resounding choruses of alleged bias, racism
and voter suppression. This seems to be the automatic response,
regardless of whether the effort occurs at the federal or state level,
and certainly when a private group tries to do something about it.

On a federal level, former Congressman Henry Hyde (IL) was a tireless
advocate for legislation to ensure that federal elections are protected
from fraud by implementing a requirement that a photo ID be presented
by the voter. That effort is now being led by Congressman Joe Walsh
(IL) through H.R. 6408, the Federal Election Integrity Act. One of the
major concerns voiced by opponents of voter photo ID laws is that the
cost will be prohibitive for some voters. H.R. 6408 makes available
funds from the Help America Vote Act to pay for IDs for those who cannot
afford one.

On a State level, the Department of Justice has continued to block State laws requiring photo identification from voters.
Inevitably, opponents of these laws claim the laws are intended to
suppress the votes of racial minorities. Of course, this assertion
ignores the fact that the legality of a vote has nothing to do with the
voter’s race. Furthermore, according to the Pew Research Center, 71% of registered latino voters support voter photo ID laws.

In reality, the only segment of the American public that does not support voter photo ID laws are those not legally eligible to vote.

That is why it comes as such a disappointment that the Ranking Member
of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Congressman
Elijah Cummings, has used his post not to help purge the voter rolls of
those not eligible to vote, but rather to investigate a group who is working to eliminate voter fraud.
In his letter, Congressman Cummings uses the political views of the
group’s leadership as evidence to support his investigation. There’s
only one problem – the legality of a vote is not determined by the
political views of any group challenging it. When a group led by
someone of a more liberal persuasion uncovers fraud, that fraud should
of course be addressed and eliminated, as well.

There are many ways to combat voter fraud, and States are
increasingly determining that requiring a photo ID is one of the most
effective ways to ensure the integrity of the vote. The Department of
Justice and the U.S. Congress should be very wary of opposing those
State actions. And every American – Republican and Democrat – should
support efforts to preserve the weight of their vote.