Voting is a sacred institution in which every American has a birthright to participate. The battle to uphold this right has taken place in the chambers of state legislatures and Congress, in the court room and on the battlefield. This November, I hope everyone reading this exercises that right which was so difficult to obtain for so many.
The public debates we have about the process are the product of a free and open society. Important policy debates on such topics as access or impediments to voting and how votes are tabulated, counted and processed are part of a healthy and informed society.
But while we debate the merits of voting machines and what hours a polling place should be open, let us not forget that voter fraud is a continuing problem, one that insults the integrity of our democratic process. We have witnessed several scandals in recent elections, generally from organizations who create false voters to run up their numbers or from those who stand to profit from paid registration drives. A recent example is that of the non-profit organization, ACORN, an organization which, among other things, last month sent voter registration materials to Princess Nudelman, a deceased family goldfish. While in this case it was revealed that Princess was a goldfish before she made it to the polls, oftentimes imaginary voters end up voting in our elections through the fraudulent efforts of unscrupulous people.
Who is doing the voting is also an important issue that deserves an equal and open discussion. There is little disagreement over who should vote. To be eligible to vote, one must be a U.S. citizen, be 18 years of age on or before the day of the election, be a resident of the state of California and not be in prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony.
I applaud the efforts of the federal and state investigators to follow up on allegations of fraud, but I want to prevent it from happening in the first place
Presently, fraudulent voter registrations are allowed to take place because there is no cross-checking of legitimate identification at the time of registration. Californians can register at the DMV but there is no requirement for anyone to check a prospective voter’s driver’s license when he or she registers. Furthermore, there is no requirement for voters to present any identification at the actual polls. This opens the door to voter fraud and to allowing illegal immigrants, felons and imaginary people to vote. It denigrates the institution of voting and every legitimate voter in our state.
Attempts to resolve this tragic abuse of our system have failed to garner enough votes from legislative Democrats in Sacramento. Republicans have repeatedly introduced legislation to require proof of identity when voting or registering to vote. A recent proposal required the use of one of six different kinds of state or federal identification. This bill, like all measures similar to it, was killed in committee with little discussion.
This year the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Indiana state law that required proof of identification to vote. I believe the United States should be the shining example of safe, fair and legitimate elections and California should follow Indiana and others states’ lead on this issue.
While the majority party may feel that safeguarding the voting process by presenting a valid U.S. or California identification is not worthy of passage, my colleagues and I will continue to pursue this issue. Exercising one’s right to vote is one of the most patriotic duties Americans have—ensuring that our elections are conducted fairly should not be too much to ask.
Assemblyman Jim Silva, R-Huntington Beach, represents the 67th Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes the communities of Huntington Beach, Anaheim, Cypress, Westminster, Seal Beach, Garden Grove, La Palma, Los Alamitos and Stanton.
