There is a popular story in politics: dead men and their dogs vote in Chicago.
The rumor says voter fraud is so rampant in Illinois, particularly Chicago, that politicians are often elected by voters who have been dead for years, even decades. Tales of voter fraud have been around a long time. To read some conservative writers from the 1960s, you would think President John F. Kennedy rode into office on a tide of dead people and their pets.
At first, the stories seem harmless and funny. Plenty of people would like to believe their candidate lost because of Washington’s powerful corpse lobby. But now these stories may have serious consequences. Tough new voting laws in many states are designed to disenfranchise voters.
Kansas, Alabama and Tennessee recently passed laws requiring voters to present government-issued photo ID cards in order to vote. Six states now require such IDs. Early voting or absentee ballot programs are also being cut in some states, which makes it harder to vote, especially for those who work or have families.
These tough voting laws are especially weighted against minorities, the poor and working class families. And they’re primarily sponsored by Republicans. Why? Because minorities, the poor and working class families tend to vote Democratic. Systematic voter disenfranchisement has been a Republican political strategy for years.
This tactic depends on the belief that voter fraud is a widespread and common problem. But perhaps some politicians may be given the benefit of the doubt. They may truly be working to end what they perceive as a serious problem that harms our democracy. In this case, their motives are not sinister, simply misguided.
Like many political urban legends, reports of voter fraud have been greatly exaggerated. The New York University School of Law studied voter fraud and found it is extremely rare. More than that, it’s irrational: not many people have motivation to commit acts of voter fraud. There are few benefits to it since a single vote isn’t worth much, and it carries a hefty penalty of up to five years in prison. An analysis of Washington state elections showed fraud occurs about 0.0009 percent of the time. A similar analysis of the controversial 2004 Ohio presidential ballots showed a fraud rate of 0.00004 percent.
In other words, the odds that somebody will commit voter fraud are about the same as the odds they’ll be struck by lightning on the way to the ballot box.
Far more problems are caused by irregularities at the ballot box like the “hanging chads” on Florida’s 2000 presidential ballot. Getting accurate results depends more on polling places having sufficient funding and trained volunteers. Confusing ballots do more damage to our democracy than voter fraud ever will.
We need to stop throwing away our voting rights to fight an imaginary problem. Tough voting restrictions are designed to keep people from exercising their legitimate right to vote. And it is a right, not a privilege. Voters should oppose any proposed laws that would make it more difficult for any American citizen to exercise their right to vote. And this means getting rid of any politician who would support such a law.
Vote them out of office before they stop you from voting.