Kobach must be smiling -- sort of -- about voter news
Lewis DiuguidNews today that one out of eight voting registrations is inaccurate must have made Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach smile.
Kobach has made a political career railing about the need for voter picture identification cards to combat the number of people voting illegally. That’s added to his focus to eliminate illegal immigration not only in Kansas but in other states such as Arizona, where he helped craft get-tough laws.
The new Pew Center on the States report says that about 1.8 million dead people are on the rolls to vote, and significant errors are in about 24 million registrations.
But Kobach will likely not enjoy the fact that the report, “Inaccurate, Costly and Inefficient,” also points out that the problems aren’t caused by widespread fraud. This is what normally happens in trying to keep up with a highly mobile population in a democracy.
The voting system cries out for the need to use better technology to refresh and update information on voters. What should matter more to Kobach and others concerned about elections is the fact in the Pew report that at least 51 million potential voters are not registered.
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George Hunsucker
Northland
3 months agoOK lewis, I will bite. Why should I be concerned that 51 million people have CHOSEN not to register?
I would much prefer to have an intelligent/informed electorage vs. an electorate blindly voting for someone or some cause, but I digress to the 2008 presidential election lewis…
Fortunately, jimmy obama now has a record of failure he is running on, so there should be fewer demobots being snookered,,
RD Porter
3 months agoYour pieces are always good for a laugh. Today you tell us that our current voting system “cries out for the need to use better technology” and yet you oppose efforts to make sure the people voting are actually who they say they are. – i.e. photo IDs. Why don’t you just admit that you are opposed to photo IDs because you know fraudulent votes are usually cast in favor of democrats.
Food for thought: just because there are reports that voter fraud appears to be low doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It could actually mean the fraud is going undetected. Maybe the nuts at ACORN are slier than we suspected.
Chuck Gatson
3 months agoThe digression is that Hunsucker is a member of the latter category of the electorate he describes.
Chuck Close
3 months agoLewis:
If 51 million Americans are ambivalent about participation in one of our most important priviliges……well, too bad for them. Their loss is probably our country’s gain.
As painlessly easy as registration is today, one can fairly state that disinterested, disengaged individuals are not needed for our republic to thrive.
As one who spent a youthful summer educating UNINFORMED people about voting rights and registering them when appropriate, it is bothersome that ambivalence and disinterest would be rewarded in the “overselling” of voting importance.
Kobach should be 100% disinterested in the consequences of ambivalence.
Phil Cardarella
3 months agoThere is NO significant evidence of any actual voter fraud. More CEOs are struck by lightening playing golf than there are folks voting twice — or voting under an assumed name!
It is highly amusing to see folks who don’t think those “others” should be encouraged to vote — “others” not as well-informed as they feel they are. You know, folks who don’t think cave-men rode dinosaurs and don’t think climate science is a hoax.
You know, them wandering, shiftless student types who get their info from them silly book deals, instead of FOX News like reg’lar guys.
Here’s the deal: the GOP would like to restrict voting to white property owners over 40 — preferably male. So they want laws that make it more difficult for the (Democrat) riff-raff to register and vote. Period.
Disenfranchise your opponents and winning elections is a lot simpler, right?
Kay Fox
Kansas City
3 months agoWhat was suspected turned out to be true…everyone should be glad including Lewis.
I’m glad, aren’t you glad?
Let’s clean up the books…and put any criminals in jail, what say you Lewis?
Chuck Close
3 months agoMr Cardarella….do not conflate definiitions or invent synonyms that are far less than synonomous.
NO ONE wants to restrict either the registration of eligible voters or voting participation. Such whole cloth fabrications are insultingly disingenuous and display archaic, extinct political labeling connotations.
We want every available voter to be passionately committed to participation. It is helpful to have a modest understanding of issues.
I am also in favor of those who are disinterested take the action such disinterest suggests. Labeling that as “disenfranchised” is not accurate or fair in any context.
You can lead a horse to water……..