75% of likely U.S. voters believe voters should show ID to vote
HARRISBURG — Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement applauding Pennsylvania House of Representatives for passing HB 934, pro-voter legislation that would protect the ‘one voter, one vote’ principle by requiring everyone to present government-issued photo ID before casting their ballots:
“Unfortunately, voter fraud is a real problem in Pennsylvania and it is incumbent upon our legislature to protect the sanctity of our electoral process. I applaud the Republican-led House for voting to pass this critical legislation and their efforts to ensure fair elections.
“Voter ID goes a long way to preventing voter impersonation and fraud on Election Day. Showing government identification is a part of our daily lives. We show photo ID to drive a car, board a plane, get money out of the bank, or buy medicine. We have to show photo ID to buy a gun or go hunting. It is important to remember that every fraudulent vote cast cancels out a legally cast ballot on Election Day.
“With major elections coming to Pennsylvania in the 2011 and 2012 cycle, it’s imperative that we act now. Voter fraud robs American citizens from their fundamental right to demand fair elections. We need to make sure that every eligible voter is able to vote, and that each and every vote is counted fairly and only once!”
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THE TRUTH ABOUT VOTER ID
Pa. voter ID aids electoral process
The requirement, aimed at preventing voter fraud, made sense back then, and it makes sense today.
A voter ID would prevent a person from registering under a false name or with a false registration form. It also would prevent voting by illegal immigrants and those who are registered to vote in more than one state.
(Lancaster New Era, “Pa. voter ID aids electoral process.” June 9, 2011. http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/403288_Pa–voter-ID-aids-electoral-process.html)
Expert: Photo ID best way to detect voter fraud
“There is really no other way to detect impersonation at the polls,” said Hans von Spakovsky, a senior fellow for the Heritage Foundation. “Without ID, you’re entirely dependent on local election officials detecting that a registration is fraudulent. If they don’t, that name gets registered on the voter rolls as valid.”
He said the voter ID measure also prevents voting by illegal immigrants and those who are registered to vote in more than one state, which can be difficult for individual states to track.
(Boehm, Eric. The Pennsylvania Independent. Article published in the Upper Macungie Patch. “Expert: Photo ID best way to detect voter fraud.” June 8, 2011. http://uppermacungie.patch.com/articles/expert-photo-id-best-way-to-detect-voter-fraud-2)
75% Support Showing Photo ID At The Polls
Support remains high for requiring voters to show photo identification before being allowed to cast their ballots. An increasing number of states across the country are putting that requirement into law.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 75% of Likely U.S. Voters believe voters should be required to show photo identification such as a driver’s license before being allowed to vote. Just 18% disagree and oppose such a requirement.
(Rasmussen Reports, “75% Support Showing Photo ID At The Polls.” June 9, 2011. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/june_2011/75_support_showing_photo_id_at_the_polls)
Vote Fraud, Intimidation, and Suppression in the 2004 Presidential Election
In September 2004, the Pennsylvania Republican Party sent a letter to 130,000 newly registered voters in Philadelphia urging them to vote Republican. However, about 10,000 of these cards came back as returned mail as the address did not exist and/or no one by the voter’s name lived at the address on the envelope. Republicans soon discovered that many of the addresses listed for new registrants were in fact vacant lots and boarded-up buildings. In one sample of 100 registrants, 15 turned out to be dead.
At least some of these faulty registrations may have come from voter registration drives, as some Pennsylvania residents complained that ACORN was deliberately putting inaccurate information on their registration forms.
(American Center for Voting Rights. “Vote Fraud, Itimidation, and Suppression in the 2004 Presidential Election.” July 21, 2005. http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/Vote_Fraud_Intimidation_Suppression_2004_Pres_Election_v2.pdf)
Video: Black Panther poll intimidation in Pennsylvania?
(From Fox News, posted on HotAir.com. “Video: Black Panther poll intimidation in Pennsylvania?” November 4, 2008. http://hotair.com/archives/2008/11/04/fox-black-panther-poll-intimidation-in-pennsylvania/
A Repeat of 2004 Philly Voter Chaos, Fraud
The City of Brotherly Love was roiled in controversy during the 2004 election because of rigged voting machines that showed nearly 2,000 votes for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry before the polls had opened. A man also used a gun to intimidate poll workers at Ward 30, division 11 in 2004.
(Carpenter, Amanda. Townhall.com. “A Repeat of 2004 Philly Voter Chaos, Fraud.” November 4, 2008. http://townhall.com/tipsheet/amandacarpenter/2008/11/04/a_repeat_of_2004_philly_voter_chaos,_fraud)