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March 07, 2005
Count Each Vote Cast By Eligible Voters Only Once
Hilary Clinton does not seem to like my proposed voting reforms. George Will would probably agree with them. Clinton is pretty much in favor of the exact opposite of what I propose. She would make same day registration mandatory, which as Will points out, “is an invitation to fraud.” I would eliminate same day registration. I would also do this on a state by state basis and not make it a federal requirement as Clinton proposes because states should control the voting process. She does not propose that people who register on the same day be able to prove they live in the precinct by requiring a government produced photo ID for instance. I fail to see how anyone who is favor of each person only voting once in each election can be in favor of same day registration when there is no way to prevent people from voting multiple times in different precincts. Clinton’s bill is called the “Count Every Vote Act”. Counting every vote is a ridiculous idea if people are voting multiple times. A good name for my reform bill would be the “Count Each Vote Cast By Eligible Voters Only Once Act.”
Clinton’s proposed changes would also give the franchise to convicted felons. This is a violation of the 14th amendment to the constitution which allows states to remove the voting rights of criminals. The exact wording of that part of the 14th amendment is, “But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.” The key words there are “except for participation in rebellion, or other crime“. That part of the fourteenth amendment would seem to override Clinton’s proposed law.
John Fund has more on restoring voting rights to felons. He asks an interesting question to liberals, “This is not to say that some states don't take laws against felon voting too far. Some have overly cumbersome procedures for restoring such rights. One could certainly distinguish between nonviolent felons and murderers and rapists. If I sat in a legislature in a state with a lifetime ban, I would probably support restoring the right to vote to those who had completed jail time and parole. I wonder if liberals would similarly back restoration of the right to own a gun to felons who had similarly done their time and finished parole.”
Clinton’s proposed law would also make election day a federal holiday. I doubt that this would increase fraud, but people do not need a holiday to vote. Early voting would fix this problem along with several others just as easily and without giving government employees another unneeded holiday, but I suspect Clinton is primarily in favor of this because so many government employees are Democrats and the holiday might increase Democrat turnout.
Posted by Pete at March 7, 2005 01:48 PM
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