[Speed Gibson,
Sunday August 29, 2004 at 11:26pm]
Absentee Voting
I am almost certainly in the minority, but I say let's abolish most of the absentee voting going on in this country. I wouldn't have said this myself as few as five years ago, but the 2000 election brought great visibility to a problem that has been growing for many years before that. That problem is voter fraud. If we lose control of the voting process, as all but happened in Florida in 2000, our democracy is clearly at risk.
Absentee voting is a process ripe for abuse if the volume is so high that these votes cannot be authenticated within the usual time frames of an election. It should only be used where necessary, the only exception being the military and invalids.
But what about snow birds, who reside in Minnesota but spend their winters down south? I say no. They can vote if they wish by arranging to be home on Election Day. The law requires that you have a reasonable opportunity to vote, the same as any other resident. It does not follow that the process be optimized for your vacation plans. It is those plans that "deprive" you of the privilege of voting.
What if you are out of the country, on business? Again, my answer is no. The key decision you made was taking a job with such travel requirements. Yes, you'll miss an election or two, maybe many. It happens; it's a choice; it's your choice.
People miss out on voting every election, perhaps due to a sudden illness or accident. Maybe a mother is giving birth a week prematurely. Maybe your car broke down on the way to the polls. It happens; it's unfortunate, but it' s not the end of the world.
It sounds harsh, but such rigor removes a major opportunity for cheating. Removing same day (motor voter) registration would also close a major flaw in today's system. If everyone has to register ahead of time and vote locally, supervised by their own townspeople as election judges, fraud gets significantly more difficult.
We may not get every possible vote, the exceptions the result of personal choice and happenstance. But we will also avoid many fraudulent votes. Only the military and invalids should be allowed to vote by absentee ballot, and their procedures may need tightening as well.
This requires us to make a social contract with our fellow voters. We understand that while the polls are open to all, we all might not make it every election. Rather than grumble about how we could have voted by absentee ballot, we "take one for the team" knowing our small sacrifice prevents easy voter fraud.
Absentee voting is a process ripe for abuse if the volume is so high that these votes cannot be authenticated within the usual time frames of an election. It should only be used where necessary, the only exception being the military and invalids.
But what about snow birds, who reside in Minnesota but spend their winters down south? I say no. They can vote if they wish by arranging to be home on Election Day. The law requires that you have a reasonable opportunity to vote, the same as any other resident. It does not follow that the process be optimized for your vacation plans. It is those plans that "deprive" you of the privilege of voting.
What if you are out of the country, on business? Again, my answer is no. The key decision you made was taking a job with such travel requirements. Yes, you'll miss an election or two, maybe many. It happens; it's a choice; it's your choice.
People miss out on voting every election, perhaps due to a sudden illness or accident. Maybe a mother is giving birth a week prematurely. Maybe your car broke down on the way to the polls. It happens; it's unfortunate, but it' s not the end of the world.
It sounds harsh, but such rigor removes a major opportunity for cheating. Removing same day (motor voter) registration would also close a major flaw in today's system. If everyone has to register ahead of time and vote locally, supervised by their own townspeople as election judges, fraud gets significantly more difficult.
We may not get every possible vote, the exceptions the result of personal choice and happenstance. But we will also avoid many fraudulent votes. Only the military and invalids should be allowed to vote by absentee ballot, and their procedures may need tightening as well.
This requires us to make a social contract with our fellow voters. We understand that while the polls are open to all, we all might not make it every election. Rather than grumble about how we could have voted by absentee ballot, we "take one for the team" knowing our small sacrifice prevents easy voter fraud.