A recent article by Floridian Tom Jackson details something we have been saying for a long time, vote fraud is hard to prosecute. As Jackson notes:
Part of the problem, Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian] Corley notes, in Florida anyway, is voter fraud is only a third-degree felony. Limited resources in state attorneys’ offices, crowded court calendars and, let’s face it, one-sided political support for exposing voting fraud make the whole idea of prosecutions problematic.
We saw the ultimate example of one-sided support, well actually opposition, to prosecuting vote fraud in New York recently where a Democrat election Board recommended prosecuting the police for exposing how easy it is to commit vote fraud. It is tough to prosecute or for the police to even investigate vote fraud.
Jackson also notes that:
Still, as former Democratic congressman Artur Davis of Alabama, now a Republican, told Fund, “There is a reason that polls consistently show over 60 percent of African-Americans and Hispanics support voter ID. They realize voter fraud isn’t a myth, and saying it is doesn’t make it so.”
Every poll has confirmed support for voter ID, yet many Democrats oppose it. (It is worth noting that even some in the Democrat political class such as Jimmy Carter and the Rhode Island legislature support voter ID).
Vote fraud is real and Jackson notes a number of examples in his article. One specific Florida example is:
Brian Corley, Pasco County’s supervisor of elections, who believes sturdily in the power of prosecution, does not think for a moment the absence of jailed fraudsters is evidence of zero fraud. He remembers the chilling story reported a couple of years ago by a colleague, an elections supervisor in southwest Florida, who, summoned to jury duty, stared in amazement as more than a few of the day’s pool were dismissed because they were not citizens.
This is significant because juries are seated from a pool not of people who have driver’s licenses, or pay property taxes or are local utilities customers, but are registered voters. That’s right. We appear to be making registered voters out of non-citizens.
There is broad bipartisan support in polls nationwide for stopping vote fraud. A recent Rasmussen poll showed 78% support showing proof of citizenship before voting to oppose this very type of fraud.
Jackson shows why vote fraud is real and difficult to prosecute in Florida. Unfortunately Florida is not alone which is a sad comment on our systems of elections.