Sen. Hillary Clinton was asked during a debate this week if she sup****ted
New
York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan to give driver's licenses to illegal
immigrants. At first she seemed to endorse the idea, then claimed, "I did
not
say that it should be done, but I certainly recognize why Governor Spitzer
is
trying to do it."
The next day she took a firmer stand (sort of) by offering general sup****t
for
Gov. Spitzer's approach, but adding that she hadn't studied his specific
plan.
She should, and so should the rest of us. It stops just short of being an
engraved invitation for people to commit voter fraud.
The background here is the National Voter Registration Act, commonly known
as
"Motor Voter," that President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1993. It
required all states to offer voter registration to anyone getting a
driver's
license. One simply fills out a form and checks a box stating he is a
citizen;
he is then registered and in most states does not have to show any ID to
vote.
But no one checks if the person registering to vote is indeed a citizen.
That
greatly concerns New York election officials, who processed 245,000 voter
registrations at DMV offices last year. "It would be [tough to catch] if
someone wanted to . . . get a number of people registered who aren't
citizens
and went ahead and got them drivers' licenses," says Lee Daghlian,
spokesman
for New York's Board of Elections. Assemblywoman Ginny Fields, a Long
Island
Democrat, warns that the state's "Board of Elections has no voter police"
and
that the state probably has upwards of 500,000 illegal immigrants old
enough
to drive.
The potential for fraud is not trivial, as federal privacy laws prevent
cross-checking voter registration rolls with immigration records.
Nevertheless, a 1997 Congressional investigation found that "4,023 illegal
voters possibly cast ballots in [a] disputed House election" in
California.
After 9/11, the Justice Department found that eight of the 19 hijackers
were
registered to vote.
Under pressure from liberal groups, some states have even abandoned the
requirement that people check a citizen****p box to be put on the voter
rolls.
Iowa has told local registrars they should register people even if they
leave
the citizen****p box blank. Maryland officials wave illegal immigrants
through
the registration process, prompting a Justice Department letter warning
they
may be helping people violate federal law.
Gov. Spitzer is treading perilously close to that. Despite a tactical
retreat
this week--he says he will only give illegal immigrants a license that
isn't
valid for airplane travel and entering federal buildings--Mr. Spitzer has
taken active steps to obliterate any distinctions between licenses given
to
citizens and non-citizens.
In a memo last Sept. 24, he ordered county clerks to remove the visa
expiration date and "tem****ary visitor" stamp on licenses issued to
non-citizens who are legally in the country. A Spitzer spokeswoman
explained
the change was made because the "tem****ary" label was "pejorative," given
that
some visitors might eventually stay in the U.S. Under fire, Mr. Spitzer
backed
down this week, delaying the cancellation of the "tem****ary visitor"
stamps
through the end of next year.
But he has not retreated from another new bizarre policy. It used to be
that
county clerks who process driver's licenses were banned from giving out
voter
registration forms to anyone without a Social Security number. No longer.
Lou
Dobbs of CNN re****ted that an Oct. 19 memo from the state DMV informed the
clerks they don't "have any statutory discretion to withhold a motor voter
form." What's more, the computer block preventing a DMV clerk from
transmitting a motor voter registration without a Social Security number
was
removed.
Gov. Spitzer's office told me the courts have upheld their position on
Social
Security numbers. Sandy DePerno, the Democratic clerk of Oneida County,
says
that makes no sense. "This makes voter fraud easier," she told me.
While states such as New York are increasing the risk of such fraud, a
half-dozen states have recently adopted laws requiring voters to offer
proof
of identity or citizen****p before casting a ballot. A federal commission,
co-chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State
James Baker, gave such laws a big boost in 2005 when it called for a
nationwide policy requiring a photo ID before voting.
Mr. Carter has personal knowledge of why such laws are needed. He recounts
in
his book "Turning Point" how his 1962 race for Georgia State Senate
involved a
local sheriff who had cast votes for the dead. It took a recount and court
challenge before Mr. Carter was declared the winner.
Measures that curb voter fraud on the one hand and encourage it on the
other
will be central to the 2008 election. The Supreme Court will rule on the
constitutionality of Indiana's photo ID law next spring, while lawsuits
challenging Gov. Spitzer's moves will be in New York state courts.
Despite her muddled comments this week, there's no doubt where Mrs.
Clinton
stands on ballot integrity. She opposes photo ID laws, even though they
enjoy
over 80% sup****t in the polls. She has also introduced a bill to force
every
state to offer no-excuse absentee voting as well as Election Day
registration--easy avenues for election chicanery. The bill requires that
every state restore voting rights to all criminals who have completed
their
prison terms, parole or probation.
Pollster Scott Rasmussen notes that Mrs. Clinton is such a polarizing
figure
that she attracts between 46% and 49% sup****t no matter which Republican
candidate she's pitted against--even libertarian Ron Paul. She knows she
may
have trouble winning next year. Maybe that's why she's thrown herself in
with
those who will look the other way as a new electoral majority is
formed--even
if that includes non-citizens, felons and those who suddenly cross a state
line on Election Day and decide they want to vote someplace new.
| Mr. Fund, a columnist for OpinionJournal.com, is author of a
| forthcoming revised edition of "Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud
| Threatens Our Democracy." (Encounter).
--
Anybody who doesn't appreciate what America has done and President Bush,
let
them go to hell! -- Iraqi voter Betty
Devisha.
|
