I think that requiring law abiding citizens to submit to a background check is a solution looking for a problem. Many people feel that requiring voters to show photo ID is the same thing. They claim that voter fraud, actual “at the poll voter fraud” is rare, very rare.
They may have a point.
However, I think that there is a parallel. We require people to register to vote, to vote only one time, to be 18. To live in the precinct they are voting in. It’s reasonable to ask for proof of ID. Reasonable in the same way that asking people to submit to a background check is reasonable.
Even if neither is really very effective at targeting abuse.
Tonight I posted an idea that WOULD reduce gun crimes:
I’m just saying that maybe before we get all worked up about checking the backgrounds of people willing to submit to background checks, we should admit who commits crimes with guns and work to remove the guns from them.
In the same vein, I think it’s important to admit that vote fraud may not be taking place at the polling station, but it IS taking place in other places:
A jury in South Bend, Indiana has found that fraud put President Obama and Hillary Clinton on the presidential primary ballot in Indiana in the 2008 election. Two Democratic political operatives were convicted Thursday night in the illegal scheme after only three hours of deliberations. They were found guilty on all counts.
Former longtime St. Joseph County Democratic party Chairman Butch Morgan Jr. was found guilty of felony conspiracy counts to commit petition fraud and forgery, and former county Board of Elections worker Dustin Blythe was found guilty of felony forgery counts and falsely making a petition, after being accused of faking petitions that enabled Obama, then an Illinois Senator, to get on the presidential primary ballot for his first run for the White House.
Fraud occurs all over the place. We should go get it where it occurs.