Voter fraud remains a problem

A recent letter writer trotted out some very old and very tired arguments against voter IDs. And, to top off the ridiculous contention of that letter’s author, he attempts to culminate his ludicrous thesis by alleging that voter IDs are an attempt by Republicans to suppress Democrat voters, especially minority voters. This accusation is so blatantly unfounded and race-baiting of the worst kind.

His arguments are of no consequence because, in the long run, this writer sets up a straw man argument and then so boldly destroys it. He proves former Sen. Daniel Moynihan’s oft quoted maxim: “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”

Here are the real facts and the proof voter IDs are necessary to safeguard the voting process we Americans hold so dearly. In Florida, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that up to 3 percent of 30,000 people called for jury duty were not U.S. citizens. Just 3 percent of registered voters in Florida would have provided the winning margin in election year 2000. The U.S. Justice Department has prosecuted more noncitizen voting cases in Florida than any other state.

The Pew Center states that 1.8 million deceased voters are still on active voting lists, 2.8 million voters are registered in two or more states, 51 million voters are not registered, and in 2008, 2.2 million votes were lost because of registration problems. Illegal immigrants in the Compton, Calif., mayoral race testified in court that they voted. Congressman Bob Dornan’s 1996 race loss was tainted by allegations of noncitizens’ illegal voting. In that race, 624 noncitizen votes were cast (INS figures). The U.S. Attorney in Chicago estimates that 80,000 illegal immigrants are registered to vote.

No need for voter IDs? What is he thinking?

Thomas Manion

Mount Prospect