For most of this year, Democrats have been furiously asserting that Voter ID laws are not only racist but also unnecessary. They have tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to make the case that requiring someone to present proof of their identity or citizenship while attempting to vote is the moral equivalent of segregationist “Jim Crow” laws. That is patently false, but they have also claimed that efforts to curb cheating in elections are not needed because there is no such thing as voter fraud in the United States. But apparently one Democratic congressional candidate didn’t get the memo.
Wendy Rosen, the Democrat who was nominated to run in Maryland’s 1stCongressional District, withdrew from the race against a Republican incumbent after it was revealed that she had personally committed vote fraud in 2008. Apparently, Rosen voted in both Maryland and in Florida in both 2006 and 2008. Voting in more than one state is just one form of such fraud, but it is both easy and possibly quite commonplace. But as a candidate, Rosen’s double dip was discovered and now the Democrats are stuck without a viable candidate in the district since it is no longer possible for them to put someone else on the ballot. But the issue here is bigger than their already dim prospects for taking the seat or even whether Rosen will be, as she should be, subjected to prosecution. It is the absurdity of Democrats around the nation spending months telling us that such fraud is unheard of when not only is it quite common but also was committed by one of their own candidates.
Admittedly, voter ID laws won’t prevent voting in more than one state. But it can prevent party machines from stuffing ballot boxes with the illegal votes of unregistered citizens or illegal aliens. It also will make it harder for politicians to employ those who might be inclined to try and vote in more than one district as opposed to a state.
As I have written before, in order to believe Democratic talking points about voter fraud, you have to ignore everything we know about American political history, politicians, parties and human nature. If there is a way to cheat, partisans will find it and employ it until caught. Though Democrats claim it doesn’t happen, we know neither party trusts each other to act in good faith on these issues (as the debacle in Florida in 2000 proved). And now one of their own congressional candidates has helpfully provided an example of how tempting it is for them to cheat.
Providing the country with fair and honest elections is a compelling government interest and most Americans rightly believe asking them to show an ID when they vote–an ID they would need to travel, conduct any transaction with the government or a bank, or to buy a beer–is inherently reasonable. And now we can thank Wendy Rosen for proof of why they think this way.
