ACORN...is anyone else concerned about this group....

[Bev in B'ville]

It's been all over the news today.

 

Las Vegas ACORN office is raided after the entire Dallas Cowboys' team is registered to vote in that state.

 

A person named "Monica Ray" has been registered to vote 10 times.

 

11,000 voter registrations were thrown out today by state officials (I believe in Indiana, but feel free to correct me on the state) after voter fraud was found.

 

ACORN is now under investigation in 11 states for voter fraud issues. Those 11 states are the battle ground states in this election.

 

According to the Nevada Secretary of State, ACORN was using convicted felons to register voters. These were felons who were on a work/release program, but still technically prisoners.

 

Obama has some explaining to do, too. He was once a trainer for this organization and then, later on, a lawyer for this organization. He needs to explain himself.

 

This group has referred to itself as "militant" and to me, that's pretty scary.

[Jugglin'5]

Community organizing, baby.:lurk5:

[GreenKitty]

Doesn't surprise me.

[jmgconner]

Yep - quite scary. I just heard on the news that Missouri is now looking into an extremely large and unusual amount of voters who do not have matching social security numbers or drivers license numbers.

 

The poor clerk they were interviewing on the news just looked tired. She said they already had long days but with this mess of iffy voter registrations, the amount of work she now has to do is staggering.

[Michelle in MO]

town once some years ago, it was easier to register to vote than it was to get my library card. I kid you not!

 

Yes, ACORN needs to be investigated.

[KS_]

town once some years ago, it was easier to register to vote than it was to get my library card. I kid you not!

 

 

 

And I'm pretty sure that the last time we voted, we just had to give our names - no ID required. I didn't think that was quite right. Seems a photo ID or some type of ID should be required to prove you are who you say you are . . .

[Kris]

Obama has some explaining to do' date=' too. He was once a trainer for this organization and then, later on, a lawyer for this organization. He needs to explain himself.[/quote']

 

Did I miss something?

[dcjlkplus3]

I hope this gets resolved well before the election.

Yes, Obama does have a lot to answer for... if only the media would stop idolizing him and actually ask him those questions, that would be a atart!

[lynn]

I hope this gets resolved well before the election.

Yes, Obama does have a lot to answer for... if only the media would stop idolizing him and actually ask him those questions, that would be a atart!

 

 

Yep. Interesting isn't it. Is this the kind of person we want running the country?

[Aggie]

And I'm pretty sure that the last time we voted, we just had to give our names - no ID required. I didn't think that was quite right. Seems a photo ID or some type of ID should be required to prove you are who you say you are . . .

 

 

This is incredible, isn't it? When I worked the election, they told us not to bother checking id's. I did anyway. Talk about potential for voter fraud. ugh

[Bev in B'ville]

Did I miss something?

 

 

For Obama to be tied to this self-proclaimed "militant" group is profoundly disturbing. The fact that he himself trained people to "register" voters (and I use the quotation marks here to indicate that a lot of the registrations are, in fact, non-registrations - just made up names) is equally disturbing. Additionally, acting later on as a lawyer, he defended the group's right to act in this manner.

 

ACORN was also partially responsible for the first bailout bill being rejected by so many as they had lobbied for, and received, an earmark for 20%, which translates into millions of $$, to continue their activities. I'll see if I can find a copy of that article and post it here.

 

11,000 fraudulent voter registrations in one state is huge! The poor people who have to sift through every one of those to verify them before the election.

 

I fear that what ACORN has accomplished is another election like the one we had in 2000 where the true winner is not decided for months. I would not be surprised at all if lawyers from both sides were already mounting their defense strategies. I heard something along these lines today about lawyers "descending in droves" on Florida to get ready.

 

 

Here's the info after a quick google search:

 

The housing bill signed Wednesday by President George W. Bush will provide a stream of billions of dollars for distressed homeowners and communities and the nonprofit groups that serve them.

One of the biggest likely beneficiaries, despite Republican objections: Acorn, a housing advocacy group that also helps lead ambitious voter-registration efforts benefiting Democrats. …

 

Partly because of the role of Acorn and other housing advocacy groups, the White House and its allies in Congress resisted Democrats’ plans to include money for a new affordable-housing trust fund and $4 billion in grants to restore housing in devastated neighborhoods. In the end, the money stayed in the bill; the White House saw little choice.

 

What most riles Republicans about the bill is the symbiotic relationship between the Democratic Party and the housing advocacy groups, of which Acorn is among the biggest. Groups such as the National Council of La Raza and the National Urban League also lobby to secure government-funded services for their members and seek to move them to the voting booth. Acorn has been singled out for criticism because of its reach, its endorsements of Democrats, and past flaws in its bookkeeping and voter-registration efforts that its detractors in Congress have seized upon.

Edited October 8, 2008 by Bev in B'ville
adding in information about ACORN and bailout

[Jennifer in NH]

ACORN has been investigated numerous times in many states. Always, it has been found not guilty of fraud, but the individuals who were working for them were found guilty. This has happened over and over again...I remember it in 2000 and 2004. Before that, my memory fades;)!

 

I have been wondering for years why time after time if the people who work for them are found guilty why something cannot be done about ACORN itself...it just seems that with that many people committing fraud, one would think that they are told to go out and do this...It seems mighty coincidental that all these people just did it on their own!

[Bev in B'ville]

ACORN has been investigated numerous times in many states. Always, it has been found not guilty of fraud, but the individuals who were working for them were found guilty. This has happened over and over again...I remember it in 2000 and 2004. Before that, my memory fades;)!

 

I have been wondering for years why time after time if the people who work for them are found guilty why something cannot be done about ACORN itself...it just seems that with that many people committing fraud, one would think that they are told to go out and do this...It seems mighty coincidental that all these people just did it on their own!

 

 

gee, one might think they were....trained....to do this.:sneaky2:

[sdWTMer]

Most assuredly, I'm concerned about this group and voter fraud.

[Kris]

For Obama to be tied to this self-proclaimed "militant" group is profoundly disturbing. The fact that he himself trained people to "register" voters (and I use the quotation marks here to indicate that a lot of the registrations are' date=' in fact, non-registrations - just made up names) is equally disturbing. Additionally, acting later on as a lawyer, he defended the group's right to act in this manner.[/quote']

 

Thanks -- I've done a bit of Googling since you posted this. From what I could find -- and I've quit looking -- the case mentioned was from 1995. Since he was the attorney after he was training, that would mean this was over thirteen years ago?

 

I know ACORN supports Sen. Obama 110%. But I'm not sure how he is personally responsible for what was done in Nevada? Is he still training the people from this organization -- or do you believe they are still implementing the practices he taught them all those years ago? Is he still representing the organization? Because I know he's been too busy lately to run around the desert signing people up -- even imaginary ones. :)

[ma23peas]

Barack Obama formerly represented ACORN and taught classes for their future leaders. While he served on the Board of Directors of the Woods Foundation, that group received about $200,000 from ACORN. When he began his presidential run, Obama paid ACORN more than $800,000 to help 'Get Out the Vote'--although it was not originally reported that way to the FEC.

 

 

Yes! I see huge issues with this, do you know why? Because ACORN is targeting those states where Obama HAS to win in order to win the election...are they helping to push the vote in solidly McCain states or solidly Obama states, absolutely not! This group has got to be stopped...the problem is they don't care who cheats as long as socialism wins...that's their agenda.

 

It is outrageous..I really am looking forward to the day where we have to have a national ID and everything is tracked so that there is no possibility of fraud...please, registering the Dallas Cowboys in Nevada??? UGH!!! These people should be sentenced harshly and quickly

 

Tara

[Crissy]

Obama has some explaining to do' date=' too. He was once a trainer for this organization and then, later on, a lawyer for this organization. He needs to explain himself.

[/quote']

 

 

Are there allegations stretching back to the days when Obama was actually involved with this group?

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

I hope this gets resolved well before the election.

Yes, Obama does have a lot to answer for... if only the media would stop idolizing him and actually ask him those questions, that would be a atart!

 

Oh, I've seen a few questions posed to Sen. Obama. :001_smile:

[Soph the vet]

Stanley Kurz (sp?) of National Review Online has an indepth article about ACORN and Sen. Obama. Anyone running for president should be scrutinized about this kind of thing for sure. I am very concerned about voter fraud. One article referred to a convicted felon who was helped by this outfit to register and vote in Ohio. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't convicted felons prohibited from voting ever again?:confused:

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't convicted felons prohibited from voting ever again?:confused:

 

No. Different states have different laws.

[Bev in B'ville]

Are there allegations stretching back to the days when Obama was actually involved with this group?

 

 

..if you ask me. See Crissy's statement above about when Obama decided to run. That wasn't that long ago and I doubt he paid them money to "Get out the Vote" only to turn around and tell them that he couldn't be associated with them.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

Has Social Policy blocked access to those two articles to protect Obama? Was the Obama campaign involved? How does Barack Obama explain his denials of a link to Acorn in light of the evidence? Shouldn’t the press be asking him about this?

 

If it was on the web, it can be accessed. They just have to work a bit harder.

 

I think registering voters is a noble cause. I think that individuals in any organization can be absolutely (and inexcusably) overzealous.

 

Reading more on this from both sides tonight.

 

BTW, it makes me laugh to hear that Sen. Obama dodges questions from the press, or that the press loves him and gives him a pass. I mean, the man went to chat with Papa Bear O'Reilly, for goodness' sake! LOL :D

 

He's not the one dodging questions from the press, nor is his VP candidate.

 

I hope if there's fraud that they rout it out quickly. There's been quite enough shenanigans on the other side (that I don't necessarily attribute to the McCain campaign, btw), and it doesn't surprise me that some people (read: humans) would think stacking the deck would be a good way to help "win" this election for the dems. I would think that very young, idealistic people would be particularly vulnerable to having their zeal overrun their good sense. I was an overzealous youngster once. So glad to be looking back on that era, frankly.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

There is always a problem with the ends justifying the means. The means matter. That's where our souls live.

 

 

Thank you. Yes. Absolutely.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

ACORN has been investigated numerous times in many states. Always, it has been found not guilty of fraud, but the individuals who were working for them were found guilty. This has happened over and over again...I remember it in 2000 and 2004. Before that, my memory fades;)!

 

I have been wondering for years why time after time if the people who work for them are found guilty why something cannot be done about ACORN itself...it just seems that with that many people committing fraud, one would think that they are told to go out and do this...It seems mighty coincidental that all these people just did it on their own!

 

Well... hmm. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

 

I think that individuals in

can take it upon themselves to be more violent or militant or irrational or to do great harm to the group as a whole when the intentions of the group itself are good and honorable. (And I don't know enough about ACORN to make a judgment, so I'm just talking in general here.)

 

I mean, I grew up in churches that wouldn't advocate bombing abortion clinics or personally terrorizing the doctors and nurses who worked in them, but whose members, some of them, were very sympathetic to that sort of thing. They would never have advocated turning away the hungry or homeless, but who had members would look the other way when other bold, overzealous members would edge out the smelly or the long-haired or the family whose kids' noses were never wiped and whose "standards" weren't quite up to par. Where the values of a free America were preached, but Voter Guides were allowed on the table in the back week after week during election seasons.

 

It doesn't mean the organizations were evil. They were not, and they were full of good-hearted, well-intentioned people. People who did great good in the world. But the group was made up of human beings, fallible and flawed. So these things happened.

 

Oversight is necessary. Investigation might be necessary. (Again, I'm just now reading about it and learning.) But without proof that this is an institutionally ingrained more that is passed along explicitly or with a wink and a nod, it's no more than gossip. Just like the left is doing with the trooper investigation in AK. Wait. Investigate. Take it seriously, sure, if you're the officials in charge of such a thing. But don't go out with gossip and innuendo in place of facts, particularly if that innuendo is coming from a strongly biased source. (Even, I have to say, if that bias is toward the candidate or party that you dearly support. Don't drink the Kool-aid for anybody.)

Edited October 9, 2008 by Pam "SFSOM" in TN
Added video

[Chelle in MO]

Barack Obama formerly represented ACORN and taught classes for their future leaders. While he served on the Board of Directors of the Woods Foundation, that group received about $200,000 from ACORN. When he began his presidential run, Obama paid ACORN more than $800,000 to help 'Get Out the Vote'--although it was not originally reported that way to the FEC.

 

 

Yes! I see huge issues with this, do you know why? Because ACORN is targeting those states where Obama HAS to win in order to win the election...are they helping to push the vote in solidly McCain states or solidly Obama states, absolutely not! This group has got to be stopped...the problem is they don't care who cheats as long as socialism wins...that's their agenda.

 

It is outrageous..I really am looking forward to the day where we have to have a national ID and everything is tracked so that there is no possibility of fraud...please, registering the Dallas Cowboys in Nevada??? UGH!!! These people should be sentenced harshly and quickly

 

Tara

Asking sincerely...having a national ID would be socialistic, wouldn't it? It sounds like you're against socialism, but you say you want a national ID--can you explain, please?

 

Chelle

[astrid]

please read this.

 

astrid

[astrid]

This is incredible, isn't it? When I worked the election, they told us not to bother checking id's. I did anyway. Talk about potential for voter fraud. ugh

 

I am a Registrar of Voters and a trained Election Moderator. It is NEVER, EVER, EVER okay to not check ID's at the polls. When I work all day long at the polls and then vote, I am required to show my ID. I live and work in a small town, and everyone knows everyone else. It's usually one of my neighbors who works on the boards, checking in voters. But it is a REQUIREMENT, and here, we take that seriously.

 

If that is what your moderator is telling you, then he or she needs to be replaced and answer for that kind of negligience. It mocks the democratic process.

 

astrid (sorry, but voting issues get me hot under the collar.)

[kokotg]

wait a second--it's not the law in every state that you have to have ID to vote, is it? I remember they just changed the law in Georgia, and it was not without controversy. In MA, I never had to show ID.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

wait a second--it's not the law in every state that you have to have ID to vote, is it? I remember they just changed the law in Georgia, and it was not without controversy. In MA, I never had to show ID.

 

I don't have to have ID in TN.

 

ETA: We have to show our signature to vote.

[kokotg]

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/legismgt/elect/taskfc/voteridreq.htm

 

Only 7 states require photo ID

 

17 more require some form of ID

[astrid]

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/legismgt/elect/taskfc/voteridreq.htm

 

Only 7 states require photo ID

 

17 more require some form of ID

 

All the more reason to make it a national requirement.

If you don't ask voters to verify that they are, in fact, registered voters, then how secure can ANY election be?

 

astrid

[kokotg]

The argument against voter ID laws, particularly photo ID laws, is that the poor, elderly, and minorities are going to be disproportionately affected, because they're more likely not to have proper ID (i.e. drivers licenses). I remember thinking in MA, though, how very easy it would have been for me to vote as someone else, so I'm not sure what to think. At any rate, though, in many states there is nothing improper about not asking for ID and it would, in fact, be illegal for a poll worker to turn someone away for not having one.

[Ma Bear Up North]

to get more information regarding the articles quoted in Joanna's post do a google search on the title of the articles. I tried the link in her post but they have been cut off. HMMMMMM seems someone out there does want the truth to get out.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

to get more information regarding the articles quoted in Joanna's post do a google search on the title of the articles. I tried the link in her post but they have been cut off. HMMMMMM seems someone out there does want the truth to get out.

 

There is NO WAY to cleanly take off information from the internet. If it was there, it will be accessed.

[Ma Bear Up North]

Towards A Chicago School of Youth Organizing Monday 18. of October 2004

 

 

and

 

Case Study: Chicago-The Barack Obama Campaign Monday 18. of October 2004

[astrid]

The argument against voter ID laws, particularly photo ID laws, is that the poor, elderly, and minorities are going to be disproportionately affected, because they're more likely not to have proper ID (i.e. drivers licenses). I remember thinking in MA, though, how very easy it would have been for me to vote as someone else, so I'm not sure what to think. At any rate, though, in many states there is nothing improper about not asking for ID and it would, in fact, be illegal for a poll worker to turn someone away for not having one.

 

In CT, we take almost any form of ID. Drivers license, AARP card, utility bill or other piece of mail.... it's imperative, IMHO, to verify that a voter IS a resident of that town and IS a registered voter, meeting all the criteria for a registered voter (citizen, of age, etc.)

 

Poll workers cannot turn a voter away for not having one, but they must sign a form stating that they are a registered voter in that community. Each voter is checked off as they enter the polling place, so if their name does not appear on the voter list, they come to the registrar's table and we go back through 10 years of official voter lists. If we find them, great; we give them a ballot and they go back to the machine. If we don't find their name, then we have the voter sign a form and give them a provisional ballot on which to vote.

 

astrid

[Perry]

It is NEVER, EVER, EVER okay to not check ID's at the polls.

 

I have never once been asked for ID. We just sign our name. It's always bothered me.

[lovemyboys]

All the more reason to make it a national requirement.

If you don't ask voters to verify that they are, in fact, registered voters, then how secure can ANY election be?

 

astrid

 

Astrid, we agree on something!! :001_smile:

 

It just amazes me that it's tougher to get utility service, a library card or an umbrella at the beach than it is to vote in our great nation.

 

It's crucial for all of us to trust that only registered voters are being counted in the national elections and that they're voting in the precincts where they're supposed to be voting. Don't be messing up my local election outcomes either.

 

And, if they've voted absentee, count every single ballot that comes from our military and national guard. Don't even think about messing with their votes -- you don't want to be trading places on the next plane.

 

ok, time to go take my blood pressure medicine and get to bed. :lol:

[astrid]

I have never once been asked for ID. We just sign our name. It's always bothered me.

 

It should........what would stop someone from voting repeatedly? Especially if you have more than one polling place in town? (we only have one polling place--- small town) The lack of regulation is almost criminal.

 

write to your secretary of state!

 

astrid

[lovemyboys]

The argument against voter ID laws, particularly photo ID laws, is that the poor, elderly, and minorities are going to be disproportionately affected, because they're more likely not to have proper ID (i.e. drivers licenses). I remember thinking in MA, though, how very easy it would have been for me to vote as someone else, so I'm not sure what to think. At any rate, though, in many states there is nothing improper about not asking for ID and it would, in fact, be illegal for a poll worker to turn someone away for not having one.

 

The problem with this argument is that I could give 10 people money to go to 10 polling places in my county to vote. That's 100 votes that could swing things my way for the local town council. And if nobody asks for or looks at ids (of any sort) then I've won and no one's the wiser.

 

I agree with Astrid and many others that some form of id should be required. It took me longer to get my library card than it did to register this past year. It's not too much to ask people to provide some proof of id.

 

And I'm all for transparency at the polling centers, anywhere that votes are being voted, tabulated, ballots opened, etc.

[emeraldjoy]

I am going to very, very carefully respond here.

I do not know very much AT ALL about the technicalities of voting and such...

I was listening to NPR the other day and there was a brief discussion on this topic, not necessarily having to do with ACORN, and it got me thinking......

 

I know this may be too simple, but I found myself wondering if all the rules and regulations about voting may defeat the whole purpose of democracy. History has shown many different marginalized people groups that have not been able to have their voice be heard using a vote. Red tape has been purposely put in the way to prevent certain voting populations (I am thinking specifically of African Americans and jerrymandering (sp?)

 

It sort of seems like a slippery slope here and that, most likely, the people that will lose their voice are the people that have had to fight the hardest to even have it in the first place. I guess I am thinking that more regulations and more red tape will not necessarily mean an end to the problems that are discussed here. More regulations may mean making it harder for the people who already have a hard time to vote.

 

I guess I just want to make sure everyone gets to vote once; and simply leave it at that....knowing full well that this is much easier said than done....

 

e

[emeraldjoy]

Oh yeah and Astrid, I admire your heart for this particular issue. Every community in our nation needs like a thousand of you...or more! We would all benefit.

emerald

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

I am going to very, very carefully respond here.

I do not know very much AT ALL about the technicalities of voting and such...

I was listening to NPR the other day and there was a brief discussion on this topic, not necessarily having to do with ACORN, and it got me thinking......

 

I know this may be too simple, but I found myself wondering if all the rules and regulations about voting may defeat the whole purpose of democracy. History has shown many different marginalized people groups that have not been able to have their voice be heard using a vote. Red tape has been purposely put in the way to prevent certain voting populations (I am thinking specifically of African Americans and jerrymandering (sp?)

 

It sort of seems like a slippery slope here and that, most likely, the people that will lose their voice are the people that have had to fight the hardest to even have it in the first place. I guess I am thinking that more regulations and more red tape will not necessarily mean an end to the problems that are discussed here. More regulations may mean making it harder for the people who already have a hard time to vote.

 

I guess I just want to make sure everyone gets to vote once; and simply leave it at that....knowing full well that this is much easier said than done....

 

e

 

I know what you mean. And I agree. It's extremely complicated. :confused:

[Mamagistra]

Oh yeah and Astrid, I admire your heart for this particular issue. Every community in our nation needs like a thousand of you...or more! We would all benefit.

emerald

 

:iagree: :001_smile:

[nmoira]

I don't have to have ID in TN.

 

ETA: We have to show our signature to vote.

We have vote by mail in Oregon. The signature on the outside envelope of every ballot is checked before the inside envelope is passed on for its contents to be counted.

[TeacherZee]

One problem with requiring IDs is that not everyone has an ID or can afford them. What do you do with those people? In effect you will be putting a poll tax on them and possibly disenfranchising a portion of the population. Just a though.

[Michelle in MO]

In Indianapolis, there are more registered voters than there are residents in Indianapolis!

 

Read these two sources:

 

Actual number of residents: 632,896

 

Number of registered voters: 677,401

 

"In the county, 677,401 voters were registered as of Monday evening; that number was expected to continue growing as last-minute registrations are entered into the system. In 2004, the county had 602,918 registered voters."

 

If these sources are accurate in comparing the same county and same residents, then this is a problem! BTW, I'm not tying this to ACORN, but this could be voter fraud.

 

I agree with Astrid that voters should be given an ID card, although I would like those cards to be issued by the states, not nationally. I think most states allow for driver's licenses to serve as ID cards; if someone doesn't drive or doesn't have the money to get an ID card, I think in those cases the state could provide a cheap, simple alternative.

[Bev in B'ville]

please read this.

 

astrid

 

 

I'm going to take Obama's campaign's word for his non-involvement. :lol: I am quite sure that if this were McCain's campaign being accused of this, they, too, would dispute the allegations on his campaign website. Would you take his campaign's website's plea of innocence seriously? (I hope not.) Incidentally, if it were McCain's camp, I would be just as furious, but I would not take his word for it. Politician's lie, all of them do. I would still like to see ACORN investigated properly and the only way to do that is to shed a big spotlight on it (meaning the main stream media).

 

He's in league up to his eyeballs with this organization. That's why they're trying to protect him now and pulling articles that associate him with their organization. He was a trainer and a lawyer for this group for Pete's sake.

 

Let's back the bus up for a minute, though, and pretend he doesn't have anything to do with this organizaiton. This self-proclaimed socialistic militant group's office was raided yesterday in Nevada. They absolutely, fradulently, knowingly were trying to stack the deck in Obama's favor in a battleground state. The 11 states in which they are under investigation are all battleground states. The Nevada Secretary of State, not someone on McCain's campaign, said they registered people fraudulently and with the help of convicted felons. Indiana pulled 11,000 (that's no small number) registrations they believe are fraudulent, all registered by ACORN. Every, and I mean every, voter registration that ACORN has helped garner should be scutinized carefully and the votes set aside until the identity is verified. At the very least, this socialistic organization is working on Obama's behalf. That alone is scary enough and should send up red flags to everybody.

 

I am NOT against people voting who should be voting. But, these people should also know who's running and the issues surrounding the election, not just dragged out from under their bridge, registered and told who to vote for. If I were trying to "Get the vote out," I would set up a non partisan video that showed who the candidates are (all of them, not just the two main parties) and have the homeless and others I was registering who have no idea who's running or their platforms watch the video before casting their early votes. That would be the fair way to do this.

 

Because of ACORN's actions, I predict a long and drawn out lawsuit before a clear winner is acknowledged in this election. This makes me mad, but more than that, it makes me very sad. With our level of technology these days we should be able to come up with a more fool proof way to monitor elections. My husband, because he travels weekly, was allowed to register for a method to bypass normal security at the airports. The registration process involved a retinal scan and all ten fingerprints. He said it took about 1/2 hour to do. Now when he approaches security, he shows his pass, bypasses everybody else, goes to the retinal scanner and fingerprint scanner and he's done. Why not arrange something to this effect at the voter sites? Yes, it would cost money to set up initially. Yes, it would inconvenience people, but if they have to wait in a line to vote anyway, why not kill two birds with one stone? With a national registry, this would prevent duplicate identities and, therefore, duplicate votes. I, obviously, need more coffee as I flesh out this idea, and I'm sure there are holes in it somewhere which someone will point out. It's a starting point though.

[Kelli in TN]

At our church you have to put your fingerprint on the fingerprint thingy to be allowed to pick up your child from class.

 

If our little church can manage to positively identify people by their fingerprints, surely the powers that be can come up with a way to positively identify voters without disenfranchising any legal residents.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I live in a small town. The people at the polls know me. One of them is my neighbor. Her daughter played with my daughter when they were little. They still check my I.D.