Getting the Vote Right

According to the latest judicial ruling, Democrat Gene Rardin of Overland Park has won his seat by a margin of two votes. However, his opponent, Republican John Kriegshauser has alleged that three people voted for Mr. Rardin illegally as they did not live in the district. Who will end up as the representative for district 16?

Though the outcome of this particular race doesn't make a significant amount of difference to me personally, it seems to prove that our government, which is supposedly a representative democracy, MUST take steps to reduce and possibly eliminate voter fraud.

Our legislature can do their part by passing the voter identification bill that has been proposed. This bill would require voters to prove US citizenship when they register to vote, and would also require voters to provide identification every time they cast a ballot.

The Kansas Secretary of State can help as well by performing voter “spot-checks” to validate a certain percentage of voters and to verify that they did indeed vote at their designated location, and that they are authorized to vote in this country.

The sanctity of the ballot box is one of the most important tenets of democracy. When dead people vote, and people who live at non-existent addresses vote, it is not just voter fraud, but is a criminal attack on the democratic foundation of our country.