By Lloyd Brown
It is a staple in the newspaper business – especially left-wing newspapers – to exhort people to vote at every election.
Conservatives, however, are more interested in quality than quantity.
That is, they are more interested in having fair elections than in driving everyone to the polls – including people who are ineligible to vote.
Last year the Legislature passed a bill that tightened up the election laws in Florida, to lessen the chance of fraud and to save money. Among other things it reduced the number of days – but not the number of hours – that early voting is allowed.
The ACLU, the League of Women Voters and other liberal groups went bonkers, demanding investigations, filing lawsuits and citing “studies” from George Soros-funded outfits that churn out whatever the billionaire needs in his quest to suppress capitalism, which is his main goal in life.
There’s nothing magic about early voting. It has never been difficult to register and vote in Florida, whether by showing up on election day or by absentee ballot.
Making it a bit easier is fine — but not if it makes it easier to cheat as well.
It also is expensive to keep polls open for days on end just to have a few voters wander in from time to time.
Liberals cleverly tagged this law, and similar ones in other states, “voter suppression” laws.
Balderdash.
It would be more accurate to label them “fraud suppression” laws.
We hear the same kind of hysteria about requiring photo identification at the polls.
Odd. When a citizen of Mexico goes to vote in his own country, he has to show photo ID. If he sneaks over the American border, he probably can vote in an American election without one.
You have to show a photo ID to get into the Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C., but the head of that department doesn’t think it is fair to require one to prove you are a citizen and registered voter when you go to the polls to elect a president.
If it is so onerous, why did an election reform commission headed by Jimmy Carter endorse photo IDs?
Leftists at the fringe not only oppose fraud protection but want to make it a requirement for people to vote. Big mistake. If forced to vote, the silent majority probably would sweep liberals out of office.
The truth is everyone does not need to vote.
It is a choice, not an obligation or a civic duty.
There are people so fed up with politicians that they choose not to vote because they don’t believe it makes a difference. As far as they are concerned, one pol is as bad as another.
Here’s an example of someone who doesn’t need to vote: A non-citizen who doesn’t know one candidate from another, or anything about the issues in the race, but has been given a sample ballot marked with choices, a fake ID, a $20 bill and a ride to the polls.
Maybe if we could suppress voters like that, we would select better people for public office.
Lloyd Brown was in the newspaper business nearly 50 years, beginning as a copy boy and retiring as editorial page editor of the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. He’ll soon be writing for Sunshine State News. Read his previous FlaglerLive column here.
"My Daily Rant" says
Mr. Brown finally a respectable conservative voice on this web site.It was refreshing reading your article and look foward to future ones I fully agree in what you say,Thank You.
Jim R. says
If Lloyd Brown thinks voting will result in beneficial changes for anyone but the minority of rich and connected elites, he is either self deluded or comfortable with the status quo. He evidently is a champion of the kind of capitalism that has resulted in the great flow of wealth upward to the greedy few who have basically destroyed our democracy, such as it was, never perfect, but at least trying to be. Thanks to them, it’s all downhill from here.
Tina says
It would be interesting to know how often the type of fraud described in this article actually happens, and whether it could actually change the outcome of an election.
Nancy N. says
What is consistently missing from the conservatives crying about how we need to prevent voter fraud is any proof that fraud is happening in the first place.
Linda H. says
Tina, as few as 50 fraudulent votes per precinct nationwide is enough to throw off a major election by millions. It is happening.
http://usjf.net/2012/04/illegal-alien-mass-voter-fraud-discovered-in-fl/?utm_source=USJF+List&utm_campaign=c03e40fda8-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email
http://patdollard.com/2012/04/shocking-new-video-from-james-okeefe-man-obtains-eric-holders-ballot-due-to-no-voter-id-law/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
And finally from a friend in VA:
Wayne – This problem is worse than most know. I have recently (Feb) been appointed to the Electoral Board for my county in VA and have gotten into the Fair and Open election rules in a big way, with the Nov election being the biggest challenge. Although voter ID is a big problem as illustrated by the video re Holder, a more insidious issue, and a very serious one, is the fact that Proof of Citizenship is generally not required to Register to vote. In VA for example, on the voter registration form a person only needs a SSN (which anyone – citizen or not can get) and needs to “Check the box “Yes” to the question “Are you a Citizen of the US”. No verification is required. Once done, the registrar staff enters the person in the poll books. At the precincts during an election, if in the poll book, election officials assume all is OK as long as the required ID is produced, which will not be photo ID even after the law is changed here. You can bet that groups like ACORN know this and will help those new registrants fill out the forms.
So, any wonder why Justice is slamming AZ and TX over photo ID – the barn door is wide open! I am pressing some of our legislators to have the Gov amend the current law in front of him to require Proof of Citizenship for all new regisrants, but current poll book rolls also need to be verified – probably not likely before Nov. The stopping of fraud on new registrants would at least put a finger in the dike.Some locales are checking rolls of those who have said they cannot do Jury Duty because they are not citizens against registered voter lists to find non-legal voters. In a University town like Charlottesville, we have the added problem of students who register in VA and are already registered in their home state . . . and thus vote twice!! Fortunately, there is a tech solution in process to address this prior to Nov.
Probably more than you wanted to know, but thought I would pass along in case you have anopportunity to work the problem where you are.
Pls feel free to share the foregoing.
There is lots more out there.
Liana G says
Mr Brown has a point. After reading about what happened in NC recently, some people really shouldn’t be voting. Some claimed the framing of the issue was confusing. And there is where public education FAILS, big time. And liberals would indeed fare worst. Now why is that? How is mandatory public education without choice working out for you guys? I read an article a while back that pointed out how folks living inside the beltway, liberals and conservatives alike, share the very same views on social issues. They even have in common their desire for drinking lattes and driving Volvos.
The Honest One says
It is your GOD given right to vote and if you are a LEGAL citizen of the USA you should vote. This year is very important to all the citizens of America. We have to get this so called president out of office and vote all the incumbants out regardless if they are republican or democrat. We need new blood and hopefully honest politicans that abide by our CONSTITUTION.
Tina says
Good luck finding “honest” politicians.
NortonSmitty says
Can I at least tell this fine Republican gentleman that I disagree with his viewpoints and delete the part that discuses his parentage and what disgusting punishment I feel he desreves for his attack on the poor and non-brainwashed or is that too much to ask here these days?
Jim R. says
Mr Brown thinks that people that don’t know anything about the issues in the race shouldn’t be allowed to vote. The issues in the race are mostly unimportant and frivolous, it’s the issues that are not issues that are important, like our endless wars that we can’t win, our continued free trade deals, (four signed by Obama) Repealing the Patriot act and all the unconstitutional laws that have been passed due to FEAR of Terrorists, putting limits on how much $ any one person can have, or going back to the progressive income tax, and taxing up to 90% on gains made from speculation.
While we are on this fantasy trip we may as well include disbanding the CIA, and stopping the FBI from promoting terrorist attacks and then acting like they saved us from the attack they formulated.
This could go on and on but the point is that nothing important to save this country from certain ruin and collapse will ever get on the agenda of either the Republican or Democrat candidate for President.
Linda H. says
You may be interested in this, Tina:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-02-10/pew-study-inaccurate-voter-registration-rolls/53083406/1