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Health & Fitness

Battling fraud the voter ID way

Hypocrisy is a vile trait, and particularly frustrating when we see it in those whom we need to trust the most, such as elected officials. Their campaign promises as candidates, are too often forgotten once elected. That same hypocrisy is witnessed and has become rampant among those who rail the loudest against requiring Voter ID when casting our ballots.  Those who oppose requiring proof of identify claim that the requirement is discriminatory, even though the requirement applies to all.  

Consider the hypocrisy of those who organized a march and rally sponsored by the NAACP on February 12.   The participants were given a list of "do's and don'ts. The list specified:  "Do wear a hat and very comfortable shoes and "DO bring photo identification (driver's license, passport or other valid photo ID) with you and keep it on your person at all times.”  Apparently the irony of demonstrating against a voter I.D. law, while requesting an I.D. to demonstrate, was totally lost on the organizers and demonstrators.  All participants apparently have an ID which makes one wonder why they would oppose a law intended to assure them their legal vote is not cancelled by an illegal one.

Attorney General Eric Holder is a staunch opponent of laws requiring voters to show photo ID, yet he cannot sufficiently explain why that is more difficult than showing a photo ID when cashing a check, traveling by plane or even train, renting a video, etc. Holder has called Voter ID unnecessary having blocked its implementation in Texas and South Carolina claiming discrimination against minorities, without offering proof of those claims and despite an understanding by the average voter that an I.D. prevents people from impersonating another.

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A favorite claim by the Left is that voter I.D. is unnecessary, because there is not a problem with fraudulent voting.  However, there is growing evidence that the tired claim is wrong.  The Voter Integrity Project, a local citizens' group concerned with election integrity released a report showing there were 475 cases of election fraud that were believed to merit a referral to prosecutors.

Consider that federal law requires all states to clean up their voter rolls.  Yet, in 2009, the Obama Justice Department dismissed, with no explanation, a lawsuit filed by the Bush administration asking Missouri for such a clean-up.  Why has the Obama Administration not enforced this requirement?

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A Pew Research Center study in 2012 found that at least 1.8 million dead people were still registered to vote, laying fertile ground for voter fraud.  In spite of evidence that indicates the need for Voter ID, specific groups continue to compare that need to "Jim Crow" provisions that blocked people from voting in the last century.  

In April of 2012 intimidation resulted when Democrats threatened a boycott against Coca-Cola for financially supporting a pro-voter ID organization (American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) that had helped state legislators draft some of the voter-ID laws. 

Voter ID Laws are simple and easy laws to follow in those states which require a voter to show government issued photo identifications at the polling places.  All states are required to meet the minimum requirement set by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 which requires photo ID for those who register by mail and did not provide identification.      

As of 10/17/2013, a total of thirty-four states have passed voter ID laws; however, not all the laws are in force either because the implementation date is in the future or because of court challenges.  The 34 voter ID state laws do vary as to specific requirements, such as whether or not the ID must include a photo. Some states  -- Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Tennessee, Texas (not yet in effect in Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin) -- a voter cannot cast a valid ballot without first presenting a photo ID. 

Here in Illinois the requirement to present a government-issued photo identification card to an election judge upon voting only applies to early voters. During the 98th General Assembly 20 Republican state senators supported SB2496 which required a person seeking to vote on the day of the election to present a government-issued photos identification to the election judge.  Filed by Senator Kyle McCarter 10/12/2011, the bill stalled and was declared "Sine Die" legislation (without assigning a day for a further meeting or hearing) on 1/8/2013   

In the Illinois House a similar bill HB3903 was filled by the Clerk by Rep. Dwight Kay during the 97th General Assembly on 12/7/2011, where it likewise became Sine Die legislation on 1/8/2013

Wisconsin's latest approach that requires voters to show photo identification at the polls, passed the Wisconsin state Assembly on November 14, 2013.  Wisconsin's prior 2011 law finally received a Court hearing last November under Act 23.  Hearings had been denied twice before by the opposition who labeled the 2011 law a voter suppression law and a troubling blend of race and politics.  It matters not that Wisconsin does provide a free I.D. to all who ask.   A federal judge is expected to decide the issue (Act 23) early this year. 

Had the Illinois House and Senate action, by some miracle, resulted in passing a photo ID law similar to Wisconsin's back in 2011, it most likely would have faced a court challenge.  Hopefully, the majority of Illinois citizens will begin to wonder why such a simple thing as showing I.D. to vote is being met with an unreasonably aggressive resistance from the left.

Carol Davis, Founder and Coordinator, West Suburban Patriots, recently wrote the following in an email communication:

We (several tea party groups) launched a coordinated Election Integrity effort here in Illinois about 2-3 years ago, working with *"True the Vote" out of Texas, we managed to rally volunteers throughout the state, but we lacked a strong leader who had the required time to commit and keep the momentum going.  I was working with Claire VanHorne of DuPage Tea Party.  Jane Carrell in the Rockford area was also involved in the effort.

*True the Vote seems to be the only national organization committed to this effort that is really having an impact.  They have been at the lead in getting Voter ID laws in several states.  They partner with Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch, J. Christian Adams of The Election Law Center, and Hans A. von Spakovsky (Manager, Election Law Reform Initiative and Senior Legal Fellow) of the Heritage Foundation. Catherine Engelbrecht is the founder and Chairwoman of True the Vote.  She recently testified before congress that shortly after filing IRS forms for a 501(c)(3) and 501 (c)(4) tax exempt organization, she became the target of serious IRS abuses for next three years. 

Does the lack of success in Illinois several years ago by Carol Davis and other Tea Party leaders mean that the efforts to establish Voter ID here in Illinois be abandoned?  Although Carol and her friends realized how wonderful it would be to have voter ID enacted, they likewise realized that given Illinois' current legislators Voter ID might be a pipe dream, but one that shouldn't be dismissed.

Recommended by Carol Davis:

We [Illinoisans] must be realistic and diligently keep working to de-throne Michael Madigan and send him packing with all his less than honorable flunkies.  Meanwhile, cleaning dead people and non-citizens from our voter rolls, and having well-trained honest election judges and poll watchers in every polling place for every election, seem to be the best areas to concentrate our energies and resources. 

Needed is a strong leader and the dedication of thousands of concerned citizens and Tea Party members throughout Illinois.   We need a patriot who is so disgusted with the extent of voter fraud that he or she will form a committee and work with the Registrar of Voters, and take the necessary time to clean up voting lists and develop a group of poll watchers.  Presently dead people vote, as do illegal aliens. There are easy ways to discover who needs to be taken off the list of eligible voters, and True the Vote can provide that information.   Chicago has been caught with boxes of ballots "found” after close elections, and thus votes were not counted the first time around.  That is far less likely to happen if we have dedicated  poll watchers at every voting station.  

Dennis Byrne, a Chicago writer who blogs in The Barbershop on Chicagonow.com, describes the Plain truth about voter fraud in Chicago in an opinion op-ed in the Chicago Tribune on June 12, 2012.  Byrne's final paragraph

When it comes down to it, a degrading assumption u9nderlies liberal opposition to voter IDs and the updating of registration rolls.  It i the assumption that minorities, the poor and even students are incapable of meeting minimal voting requirements. 

California, not unlike Illinois, is dominated by liberals.  California residents also suspect voter fraud has changed voting results.  The Democrat majority if their state congress is not apt to initiate a voter I.D. law. Therefore, the citizens of California are now in the process of circulating petitions for signatures to qualify a proposition for their 2014 ballot.  It would behoove Illinois to follow suit.   All that is needed is for one amazing person to get it started.

Most of us understand voter fraud is occurring in our state.  However, until we a prove it, which in itself requires diligence, patience, and often funding, we must do all we can to prevent fraud from changing election results.  While a voter I.D. system makes the most sense, until we are able to enact that law, patriots throughout the state can help make a positive difference by volunteering to work and watch for any irregularities at the polls. 

Call your local Registrar of Voters office for information on how to get involved.


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