Keeping the Pot Boiling

The stability of any democracy depends on the widespread perception of voters that if their candidates or views do not prevail in this election, they may well prevail in the next election. And that perception, in turn, requires that voters view the playing field as an even one.

The very first piece of legislation passed by the Democratic majority of the House of Representatives — H.R. 1, titled the “For the People Act” — seeks to do just the opposite by nationalizing federal election law to an unprecedented degree, and making permanent a set of election procedures originally introduced in 2020 in response to COVID-19 and the fears of many voters of casting ballots in person. Those procedures would over time render in-person Election Day voting a relic of the past and dramatically increase the opportunities for fraud, thereby reducing citizens’ confidence in the integrity of the election system.

Let us start with the obvious: In-person voting is the safest method of ensuring election integrity. It makes it easiest to ensure that each ballot is cast by an eligible voter, and to protect against any attempts to tamper with the ballot boxes (or their electronic equivalent). This is how it is done in Israel, which, unfortunately, leads the world in the frequency of elections. One shows up at the designated polling place, presents one’s identity card, enters a separate polling booth, and places one’s choice in an envelope, which is then deposited in the ballot box sitting in front of the election officials.

Among other things, H.R. 1 bars states from requiring any photo ID from voters, as 35 states do today. Rather, states must content themselves with a sworn statement by the would-be voter of his or her name and eligibility to vote. It would require states to automatically register voters from a variety of state-maintained databases, including welfare agencies and the department of motor vehicles, even though those databases may include large numbers of illegal — or undocumented, if you will — aliens. (Remember, every Democratic presidential candidate in 2020 raised his or her hand when asked whether they would support welfare benefits for illegal aliens.)