Voter Fraud: Research study suggests major election problems
~~2/21/2012~~~By Jim Kouri, Law Enforcement Columnist ~~~(Guests today at 7:07AM MST on the Morning Zone)
In a typical system, election officials get information about a voter’s identity, eligibility, address, and contact information through a form completed at a public agency, such as a county election office or motor vehicles office, or through an unregulated third party voter registration group, such as a campaign or advocacy organization (ACORN, Project Vote). - The Pew Center
voter confidence, and fuel partisan disputes over the integrity of our elections, according to Pew researchers.
current information.
A study released by the conservative think-tank the Heritage Foundation provides proof that illegal aliens and immigrants with green cards are committing rampant voter fraud in the United States.
Reports of ineligible persons registering to vote have raised concerns about state processes for verifying voter registration lists. States usually base voter eligibility on the voter's age, US citizenship, mental competence, and felon status.
Although individual states run elections, Congress has authority to affect the administration of the elections. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) had set a deadline for states to have a statewide voter registration list and list verification procedures, according to Heritage analysts.
For example, the methods used in seven selected states to verify voter eligibility and ensure accuracy of voter registration lists were varied and include relying on registrant self attestation, return mailings, and checking against lists of felony convictions or deceased individuals. Some states, for instance, failed to do any more than ask on their application forms if the registrant was a US citizen. The applicant will merely check off the "Yes" box, but there is no action taken to verify the authenticity of that answer.
"The voter registration officials simply take the word of the registrant with no follow-up," said conservative political strategist Michael Baker.
"Some states that require some backup documentation merely ask for a utility bill or a driver's license — neither of which prove citizenship. In other words, legal or illegal aliens can easily register to vote in local and national elections," warns Baker.