Voter ID Redux

[One Bad Pig]

Update:

Source: Study - Voter ID Laws Don't Stop People Voting

Strict voter ID laws do not suppress turnout, a new paper finds, regardless of sex, race, Hispanic identity, or party affiliation.

Requiring photo ID to vote is a hotly contested subject in American political discourse. Proponents argue that it is necessary to insure against fraud and preserve the integrity of the American electoral system. Opponents argue that it will disenfranchise otherwise eligible voters—many of whom would be poor and of color—who are unable to easily obtain ID.

In total, 10 states, ranging from Georgia to Wisconsin, require voters to show ID in order to vote. Seven of those states require a photo ID, and three do not. An additional 25 states "request" that voters display ID, but may still permit them to vote on a provision ballot if they cannot. The remaining states "use other methods to verify the identity of voters," according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The new research, from an economics professor at the University of Bologna and another at Harvard Business School, indicates that "strict" voting laws of the type implemented in those ten states do not have a statistically significant effect on voter turnout.
<...>
At the same time, the study's authors use the same data to examine the actual effect of strict voter ID laws on voter fraud itself, and similarly find no statistically significant effect. Using two datasets of voter fraud cases (which represent a cumulative 2,000 proven or hypothesized events over eight years), the study examines the relationship between laws and frequency of measured voter fraud, finding no evidence of a change after implementation.

This finding is naturally limited by the extremely small number of voter fraud cases actually identified: fewer than one per million people per year. It is possible that voter ID laws would be more effective suppressing fraud in a context where it was more evidently prevalent; as is, the authors estimate that the laws themselves only cover about 0.3 to 0.1 offenses per million people per year.

© Copyright Original Source

[carpedm9587]

the New Georgia Project, an organization founded by Kemp's opponent, Stacey Abrams, herself in 2014. Their intentional and repeated sloppiness is apparently well-known with local registration officials. But when you swamp the officials with difficult-to-make-out information, and you slow their validation efforts, you get to make impactful public statements like this:

“Whether this was an intentional decision to discriminate against minorities, I can’t say that for certain, but there is circumstantial evidence: It became known that large numbers of minorities were not getting out to the polls because of exact match,” Houk said.

When the New Georgia Project ramped up its voter registration drive before the 2014 election, it swamped local election officials with roughly 85,000 applications.

“Applications we received from these canvassers were difficult to process, missing critical information, (and) contained duplicate registration submitted within days of each other,” Muscogee County Elections Director Nancy Boren said Sept. 20 in testimony to the State Election Board. “Often it was five or more applications dated one or two days apart.”



Kemp’s spokesperson emphasized that the 53,000 would-be voters whose registrations were pending could still show up at a polling station on election day and vote as normal:
If you are on the pending list, you literally vote exactly the same way that every other person in Georgia that’s not on the pending list votes. In Georgia, you present your Photo ID at the polling precinct. It’s scanned. If you are on the pending list, this action moves you from pending to active. If you are already active, it re-affirms you are active.

https://politics.myajc.com/news/stat...Y0AjUQ8b9RgTN/

So from this you are inferring malicious intent?

This appears to be another effort to mind-read others. It could just as easily be a "get-out-the-vote" effort to try to bolster the voters for one party or the other. Get-out-the-vote efforts are usually staffed by volunteers who may or may not be well trained, may or may not be coordinated to avoid duplication, etc. Assuming that the results were maliciously intended is not, as far as I can see, justified.

[rogue06]

Meanwhile...

Source: 58,000 non-U.S. citizens may have voted in at least one election here, election official says

Texas election officials said Friday that tens of thousands of people whose U.S. citizenship could not be confirmed cast ballots in one or more election in the state during the past 22 years.

Texas Secretary of State David Whitley said a year-long evaluation found about 95,000 people described as “non-U.S. citizens” who are registered to vote in Texas. About 58,000 of them voted in Texas elections between 1996 and 2018, Whitley said.

“Integrity and efficiency of elections in Texas require accuracy of our state’s voter rolls, and my office is committed to using all available tools under the law to maintain an accurate list of registered voters,” Whitley said.

These voters were found as state workers updated voter registration lists, comparing data with the Texas Department of Public Safety, to make sure those who cast ballots were eligible to do so, Whitley said.

No information was available Friday afternoon on where those voters live or voted in Texas.


Voter fraud has been a longtime concern for Texas lawmakers, who have said that was part of the reason they passed a law requiring voters to show a photo ID when voting.

Some civil rights officials weighed in Friday, acknowledging that the numbers are alarming. But they question whether the list includes duplications and factors in that about 50,000 Texas residents become naturalized citizens every year.

It’s not surprising that officials announced this news “using alarmist language that is clearly intended to advance a false political narrative to further restrict access to the ballot box,” said Beth Stevens, voting rights legal director with the Texas Civil Rights Project.

“Unfortunately, the state has opted to over zealously pursue election prosecutions and ruin the lives of Texans for minor mistakes while ignoring the substantial issue of our outdated and archaic election system that actually stops eligible voters from casting a ballot that counts,” Stevens said.

There have been several cases of voter fraud recently filed by the Attorney General’s Office in Tarrant County.

Among them, an alleged voter fraud ring in Fort Worth that led to the indictment of four women: Leticia Sanchez, Leticia Sanchez Tepichin, Maria Solis and Laura Parra.

ELECTION FRAUD

In a prepared statement, the Secretary of State’s Office said it has forwarded information about the non-citizen voters to the Texas Attorney General’s Office, which investigates and prosecutes cases of voter fraud.

“Every single instance of illegal voting threatens democracy in our state and deprives individual Texans of their voice,” Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a prepared statement. “My Election Fraud Unit stands ready to investigate and prosecute crimes against the democratic process when needed.”

“Nothing is more vital to preserving our Constitution than the integrity of our voting process, and my office will do everything within its abilities to solidify trust in every election in the state of Texas.”

Illegally voting is a second-degree felony, punishable by two to 20 years in prison.

In 2017, a Grand Prairie mother of four, Rosa Maria Ortega, made national news when she was sentenced to eight years in prison for illegally voting. Ortega, who has a green card and isn’t a U.S. citizen, lost an appeal to the 2nd Court of Appeals late last year. It is uncertain if she plans to appeal that verdict.

The Attorney General’s Office notes that state law lets non-citizens receive driver’s licenses by showing “proof of lawful presence” to the DPS.

“However, only citizens are eligible to vote,” according to a statement from the Attorney General’s Office.

ELECTION ADVISORY

Whitley, the secretary of state, issued an advisory about the voter registration list to Texas officials Friday afternoon.

He said election workers reviewed the statewide voter registration database, and compared the information to a DPS-provided list in order to identify possible non-U.S. citizens who are registered to vote.

They reviewed names, social security numbers, DPS-issued driver license or personal identification card numbers and dates of birth.

The list of those believed to be non-U.S. citizens who voted has gone to the attorney general’s office. And from now on, the Secretary of State’s Office plans to review data shared by DPS on a monthly basis to confirm the citizenship of Texas voters.

Heider Garcia, Tarrant County’s elections administrator, didn’t immediately respond Friday afternoon to a request for a comment from the Star-Telegram.

But he and other county election officials across the state will receive lists over the next few days of anyone identified as a “non-U.S. citizen” who voted.

Election officials will then send out letters to the alleged non-citizen voters, giving them 30 days to provide proof of citizenship, said Sam Taylor, a spokesman for the Secretary of State’s Office.

“Identifying ineligible registrations and removing them from the voter rolls is the first step toward restoring integrity to our electoral process,” James Dickey, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, said in a prepared statement Friday afternoon. “We can not afford voter fraud in 2020 and must stop this abuse now. It is a crime and it is damaging to our republic.”



Source

© Copyright Original Source

The article ends with a 2 minute video of Minnie Barela, a blind 76-year-old Fort Worth woman, who said a woman recently indicted in connection with an organized voter fraud ring had knocked on her door in 2016 and offered to help her vote.

[Bill the Cat]

So from this you are inferring malicious intent?

You asked for an answer. I gave it.

I'd like to see some source material relevant to this claim.

That's the source material. It was not my commentary.

[carpedm9587]

Meanwhile...

Source: 58,000 non-U.S. citizens may have voted in at least one election here, election official says

Texas election officials said Friday that tens of thousands of people whose U.S. citizenship could not be confirmed cast ballots in one or more election in the state during the past 22 years.

Texas Secretary of State David Whitley said a year-long evaluation found about 95,000 people described as “non-U.S. citizens” who are registered to vote in Texas. About 58,000 of them voted in Texas elections between 1996 and 2018, Whitley said.

“Integrity and efficiency of elections in Texas require accuracy of our state’s voter rolls, and my office is committed to using all available tools under the law to maintain an accurate list of registered voters,” Whitley said.

These voters were found as state workers updated voter registration lists, comparing data with the Texas Department of Public Safety, to make sure those who cast ballots were eligible to do so, Whitley said.

No information was available Friday afternoon on where those voters live or voted in Texas.


Voter fraud has been a longtime concern for Texas lawmakers, who have said that was part of the reason they passed a law requiring voters to show a photo ID when voting.

Some civil rights officials weighed in Friday, acknowledging that the numbers are alarming. But they question whether the list includes duplications and factors in that about 50,000 Texas residents become naturalized citizens every year.

It’s not surprising that officials announced this news “using alarmist language that is clearly intended to advance a false political narrative to further restrict access to the ballot box,” said Beth Stevens, voting rights legal director with the Texas Civil Rights Project.

“Unfortunately, the state has opted to over zealously pursue election prosecutions and ruin the lives of Texans for minor mistakes while ignoring the substantial issue of our outdated and archaic election system that actually stops eligible voters from casting a ballot that counts,” Stevens said.

There have been several cases of voter fraud recently filed by the Attorney General’s Office in Tarrant County.

Among them, an alleged voter fraud ring in Fort Worth that led to the indictment of four women: Leticia Sanchez, Leticia Sanchez Tepichin, Maria Solis and Laura Parra.

ELECTION FRAUD

In a prepared statement, the Secretary of State’s Office said it has forwarded information about the non-citizen voters to the Texas Attorney General’s Office, which investigates and prosecutes cases of voter fraud.

“Every single instance of illegal voting threatens democracy in our state and deprives individual Texans of their voice,” Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a prepared statement. “My Election Fraud Unit stands ready to investigate and prosecute crimes against the democratic process when needed.”

“Nothing is more vital to preserving our Constitution than the integrity of our voting process, and my office will do everything within its abilities to solidify trust in every election in the state of Texas.”

Illegally voting is a second-degree felony, punishable by two to 20 years in prison.

In 2017, a Grand Prairie mother of four, Rosa Maria Ortega, made national news when she was sentenced to eight years in prison for illegally voting. Ortega, who has a green card and isn’t a U.S. citizen, lost an appeal to the 2nd Court of Appeals late last year. It is uncertain if she plans to appeal that verdict.

The Attorney General’s Office notes that state law lets non-citizens receive driver’s licenses by showing “proof of lawful presence” to the DPS.

“However, only citizens are eligible to vote,” according to a statement from the Attorney General’s Office.

ELECTION ADVISORY

Whitley, the secretary of state, issued an advisory about the voter registration list to Texas officials Friday afternoon.

He said election workers reviewed the statewide voter registration database, and compared the information to a DPS-provided list in order to identify possible non-U.S. citizens who are registered to vote.

They reviewed names, social security numbers, DPS-issued driver license or personal identification card numbers and dates of birth.

The list of those believed to be non-U.S. citizens who voted has gone to the attorney general’s office. And from now on, the Secretary of State’s Office plans to review data shared by DPS on a monthly basis to confirm the citizenship of Texas voters.

Heider Garcia, Tarrant County’s elections administrator, didn’t immediately respond Friday afternoon to a request for a comment from the Star-Telegram.

But he and other county election officials across the state will receive lists over the next few days of anyone identified as a “non-U.S. citizen” who voted.

Election officials will then send out letters to the alleged non-citizen voters, giving them 30 days to provide proof of citizenship, said Sam Taylor, a spokesman for the Secretary of State’s Office.

“Identifying ineligible registrations and removing them from the voter rolls is the first step toward restoring integrity to our electoral process,” James Dickey, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, said in a prepared statement Friday afternoon. “We can not afford voter fraud in 2020 and must stop this abuse now. It is a crime and it is damaging to our republic.”



Source

© Copyright Original Source

The article ends with a 2 minute video of Minnie Barela, a blind 76-year-old Fort Worth woman, who said a woman recently indicted in connection with an organized voter fraud ring had knocked on her door in 2016 and offered to help her vote.

To be clear folks - these names have been forwarded for investigation as "possible voter fraud." The statement that 58,000 DID vote" is false. The investigation is not complete. The existence of false duplicates has not yet been ruled out. As usual, the "voter fraud" advocates are getting ahead of the story more than just a bit.

[carpedm9587]

You asked for an answer. I gave it.

But it doesn't actually prove/show what you think it proves/shows. You are assuming intent without an ability to show that was actually the case.

That's the source material. It was not my commentary.

The commentary is not yours - the assumption of intent is.

[Bill the Cat]

But it doesn't actually prove/show what you think it proves/shows. You are assuming intent without an ability to show that was actually the case.

It shows exactly what I said. They swamped the registrar's office just before the election with thousands of poorly filled out registrations.

The commentary is not yours - the assumption of intent is.

No it isn't.

[One Bad Pig]

To be clear folks - these names have been forwarded for investigation as "possible voter fraud." The statement that 58,000 DID vote" is false. The investigation is not complete. The existence of false duplicates has not yet been ruled out. As usual, the "voter fraud" advocates are getting ahead of the story more than just a bit.

To be clear, you're doing some pretty heavy damage control here. The usual "nothing to see here, folks" people are doing their damnedest to cast doubt on the findings. How many "false duplicates" do you think there could possibly be?

[carpedm9587]

It shows exactly what I said. They swamped the registrar's office just before the election with thousands of poorly filled out registrations.

Which can be due to any number of reasons - not necessarily "a desire to then accuse the registry of intentionally denying the vote."

No it isn't.

Since you cited this as an example of, "It's almost if they do it on purpose just so they get set aside in order to have something to protest about," I would suggest that you are indeed inferring intent.