Both the
Left and Right have expressed concern over potential abuse in America’s current voting process. But as the
rhetoric flies, what are the facts? And is the Department of Justice heeding
all concerns?
By Brandon Darby
(This piece is an
abbreviated version of Brandon Darby’s original printed piece that was featured
in Townhall Magazine’s March 2012 issue)
There’s been much said lately about election integrity and voter identification
laws. Both sides of the American political spectrum have raised concerns over
polls and potential abuses in the American voting process. In fact, due to the
serious voter registration irregularities identified by groups like
True the Vote in Texas, along with the
numerous voter fraud convictions across the nation involving workers from
politically motivated groups like the failed organization ACORN, many states
are pursuing photo identification as a means of addressing such assaults on
election integrity.
Texas,
South
Carolina and
Florida
have all taken steps to mandate photo identification as a requirement for
voting. In general, Americans holding left-of-center perspectives tend to claim
organized racist efforts exist to suppress low-income Americans or minorities
from voting. DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz went so far in condemning
several recent initiatives to protect against voter fraud as to suggest
Republicans want to put voters back to the days of Jim Crow.
Americans with right-of-center perspectives tend to claim voter fraud and an
organized effort to register dead or nonexistent people is in full swing by the
Left. The Right has also suggested in some cases that efforts to allow Democrats
to vote twice or more are in play, as was discovered near Houston,
Texas, surrounding the 2010 midterm elections.
Both sides have legitimate facts and occurrences to validate their points of
view. There was a time in our nation when black Americans weren’t allowed to
vote. Even after their right to vote was recognized by the hard and often
dangerous—sometimes fatal—work of black activists and allies, laws were
implemented by the old Democrats of the South to ensure black Americans still
couldn’t vote. Tests which were nearly impossible to pass were administered to
many black Americans, ultimately preventing them from exercising their rights.
This horror is an historical reality and will forever justify some suspicion
any time a requirement is mandated regarding voting.
But a justifiable suspicion which merits further looking
into requires just that—further looking into. The initial suspicion doesn’t
mean the worst-case scenario is actually occurring. It simply means looking
into the matter is justified.
It was Democrats who were predominantly responsible for the
Jim Crow laws against black Americans voting. Democrats have historically
exhibited a tendency to go to any lengths to ensure the results of elections
turn out in their favor, as was the case during Jim Crow when they didn’t want
black Americans to participate in choosing non-racist leaders.
Republicans often point out the recent example of the
community organizing organization known as ACORN. As outlined in Matthew
Vadum’s “
Subversion Inc.,” there
have been 55 convictions for voter fraud and voter registration fraud from
ACORN’s efforts, which leaned heavily in favor of the Democratic Party.
