Same day voter registration is a kooky idea May 7, 2008
It seems that every election year, two stupid ideas pop to the forefront.
The first is the elimination of the 300 foot rule to protect voters going to the polls from having to walk a gauntlet of campaign workers shoving cards and brochures in their hands.
This idea normally comes from a southern West Virginia Democrat (invariably one with two first names, can you say Billy Wayne) who pine for the days of vote-buying and free liquor at the polls.
The second idea and the more scary of the two is same-day (election day, that is) registration of voters.
Holy smokes.
Can you imagine the vote fraud in this case? And, in a state known for its vote fraud?
This also normally comes from the Democrats who want to be able to pay people to go round up people who aren’t registered, pay them, and have them go to the polls and vote. Well, OK, they may not pay them, but you get the drift.
Can you imagine the absurdity of finding people who haven’t registered (despite the fact that they can register in just about every street corner in West Virignia) and those folks being “found” and “driven” to the polls?
At least Carrie Webster didn’t sugarcoat why she wants it to pass. Her quote?
“It’s time to start talking about ways to get our people to the polls.”
I’d love to know the definition of “our people.” The people who are SO uninformed that they haven’t registered despite 10,000 opportunities? The people who are… oh… can you say it… Democrats? The people who had no idea it was a… you know, PRESIDENTIAL election, that they can be rounded up and ‘driven’ to the polls? I can’t imagine WHO those drivers who would telling/coercing the voters to vote for… I mean, it’s hard to figure out WHICH party a person who as no idea a PRESIDENTIAL election is taking place would support?
Yes, just what we need, a same day voter registration vote-buying fiasco.
Below is the Daily Mail editorial on the same subject.
*****
Voting is not impulse buying
NEARLY two-thirds of the people in West Virginia are registered to vote, according to the secretary of state’s office. Going into the final five days of registration before the May primary, 1,175,915 people were on the rolls.
That is 83 percent of the approximately 1,419,464 people who are eligible to vote.
People can register to vote not only at the county courthouse, but at the Division of Motor Vehicles, public assistance offices and military recruiting stations, as well as by mail.
Never before has voter registration been so easy.
Still, only 53 percent of those eligible to vote actually voted in the last presidential election.
This may be sad, but it is insufficient pretext for loosening the state’s voter registration laws. People who cannot be bothered with voting for president might not be all that interested in politics.
Yet House Judiciary Chairwoman Carrie Webster, D-Kanawha, is leading an effort to allow voters to register as late as Election Day.
“It’s time to start talking about ways to get our people to the polls,” Webster said.
That is 83 percent of the approximately 1,419,464 people who are eligible to vote.
People can register to vote not only at the county courthouse, but at the Division of Motor Vehicles, public assistance offices and military recruiting stations, as well as by mail.
Never before has voter registration been so easy.
Still, only 53 percent of those eligible to vote actually voted in the last presidential election.
This may be sad, but it is insufficient pretext for loosening the state’s voter registration laws. People who cannot be bothered with voting for president might not be all that interested in politics.
Yet House Judiciary Chairwoman Carrie Webster, D-Kanawha, is leading an effort to allow voters to register as late as Election Day.
“It’s time to start talking about ways to get our people to the polls,” Webster said.
Nine states already have this - and problems.
In Wisconsin, state investigators found that in Milwaukee, ballots cast outnumbered voters registered by 4,609 voters in the 2004 presidential election.
Democratic Sen. John Kerry carried Wisconsin by fewer than 11,000 votes.
More than 70,000 of the 270,000 voters in Milwaukee registered on Election Day that year, some using fake names, fake addresses and even the name of a dead person. The system was simply overloaded by last-minute registrants.
In West Virginia, Secretary of State Betty Ireland and many county clerks say same-day registration is problematic.
Every eligible adult should vote. But they should first go through the process of registering well before the election - as 1,175,915 West Virginians had done as of Thursday.
State officials should protect those 1,175,915 people from having their votes watered down by fraud at the polls.
West Virginia has a well-earned reputation for vote fraud. Legislators should not be caught dead supporting anything that would make that problem worse.
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7 Responses to “Same day voter registration is a kooky idea”
Don’t forget Lincoln County - They have over 100% registration of elegible voters. If they can’t take the decesased off their rosters, they have no business registering people to vote on election day.
Just when you thought the Democrats couldn’t come up with any more ways to commit voter fraud, they never cease to amaze us.
I miss the days of a pint of cheap Whiskey for pullin the Rooster Tail. A Democrat tradition.
I’ll tell you what Webster means when she says “our people”. She is referring to those who are partially and completely dependent upon the welfare state the Democrats have created in WV. It isn’t enough that some of them vote, Webster wants ALL of them to vote. It would strengthen the game Democrats have been playing all these years: “Vote for me and I’ll keep the checks coming. Vote for my opponent and he/she’ll take your checks away.”
Ah, would that WV Republicans actively sought out ways of winning elections and maintaining their power.
Very interesting article, this is an issue that causes great concern to many. I wonder if anyone has really enforced the 300 Ft rule? I see campaign signs in front of Union Hall’s which are placed within 300 Ft of Voting Polls and yet never has anyone asked them to take down a sign and during election day many of the members wear camo and stand out in front of the Hall tryin to intimidate people by staring at them as they walk in to vote. I think we should go to a 500 Ft Rule and actualy have it enforced for both Democrats and Republicans, as we see any rule now it is only the Republicans who are hammered when it comes to any sort of rule, when will someone say enough is enough?
By M on
yes Vic and J the rule is enforced in Greenbrier County by Mr. Levisay, County Clerk at every election. One polling place is in the Courthouse along with early voting and all political signs across the street and down the side street within 300 feet MUST be removed. Although Mr. Levisay is a democrat, he does not show any favorism to his party. ALL signs must come down.
I have heard the Republican Chairman say that Mr. Levisay was very fair and honest with he and the Republican Executive Committee and enforced the law as written to both parties.
I bet they play campaign commercials on their DVD players in the vans on the way to the Polls. You know the ones that McCain banned 30 days before and election.