By Richard Cohen
Donald Trump has in recent days raised the specter of massive voter fraud, saying that he could lose in Pennsylvania only if “in certain sections of the state they cheat.” And he’s proposed a remedy: volunteer poll watchers.
It’s a remedy that’s now being trumpeted by white supremacists and far-right conspiracy theorists.
The great irony here is that we have far more to fear from efforts to
combat voter fraud, including the potential for an army of Trump poll
watchers, than we do from any actual voter fraud.
The claim that the integrity of our electoral system is threatened by
people voting more than once, by pretending to be someone else, or by
voting when they are not eligible has been a favorite of right-wing
politicians and pundits in recent years.
As is well known by now, there is virtually no evidence to support the claim. Nonetheless, 15 states
this year will have new voter restrictions in place to combat the
phantom problem, just in time for the presidential election. The total
would have been 17, but federal judges this summer struck down North Carolina’s law – possibly the harshest in the country – and blocked another in North Dakota.
Courts also have ruled against all or parts of voter restriction
laws in Texas, Wisconsin, and Kansas in recent months. But those remain
largely in effect pending further court action.
Click here for the full article.
Source: The Southern Poverty Law Center
No comments:
Post a Comment