4 ms·

What stops inventing fake voters to register, if not ID?

• eesmith 5y ago
  1) Registering fake people doesn't affect the vote Someone can be registered to vote in multiple precincts. This is pretty common, as when someone moves between two states and doesn't notify the old state that they are no longer a resident for voting purposes. This is not illegal. While voting some place where you are not legally allowed to vote is illegal. 2) "ID" is broader than "state-issued photo id" When I registered to vote, I had to present proof that I was a resident. There was a list of options, like showing utility bill, which sufficed. It's a lot of work to set up a fake rental agreement, fake power bill, fake whatever, and show up in-person to register. How much more does a fake id cost? Remember, the fake id can be reused. I could travel around to 50 precincts and register my pseudonym in each one. 3) The list of registered voters is public This gives a way to check for false registrations. And people have done these checks, when investigating in-person impersonation voter fraud. 4) You know what is more effective at stopping this sort of fraud? A nation-wide registry of where people live, with the legal obligation to update it when you move. This seems far more effective at reducing fraud than showing id. With additional benefits, like only needing to update your address once, for all government services. Yet people focus on requiring people to show id, with its minuscule benefits and clear negatives. Why is that?