The issue of in-person voting fraud has steadily gained prominence and has become a central campaign issue this election cycle nationally and in North Carolina.
A requirement that voters present government-issued photo identification has been enacted in some states, and in North Carolina, such a measure passed the General Assembly in 2011 but was vetoed by Gov. Bev Perdue.
Depending on the outcome of the elections this fall, a renewed effort to pass the legislation could become prominent in Raleigh again when the legislative session convenes in January.
The following question (condensed for space, full version at the end of this post) was asked of a few groups across the political spectrum, whose responses have been posted on EQ's home page: How can voting fraud be better detected and prevented without putting an undue burden on certain voting blocs?
For more background, below is some of The News & Observer's coverage of the debate on photo ID laws and voting fraud in North Carolina:
- Group says it found 30,000 dead North Carolinians registered to vote
- Report: Battleground states could inhibit Latino voters
- Perdue vetoes photo ID bill
- 90-year-old pleaded guilty to voting fraud charge
- Voter ID measure fails to find bipartisan compromise
Here's the full question:
At least some in-person voter fraud happens in North Carolina, and it stands to reason if there is slightly more than detected by state watchdogs – every other crime from speeding to check fraud to murder routinely goes undetected, so why would that not hold true with voting? It's also true that requiring government-issued photo identification has more of an impact on the ability of poor people to vote, as they are less likely to have ID already and more likely to have trouble getting one. At least on the surface there is something to concerns raised by both sides, so how can a middle ground be reached – either by crafting an ID requirement or another way all together – that would better prevent and detect in-person voter fraud without putting an undue burden on certain voting blocs?
