Title: Who Can Vote? - A News21 2012 National Project
Headings: Comprehensive Database of U.S. Voter Fraud Uncovers No Evidence That Photo ID Is Needed
Comprehensive Database of U.S. Voter Fraud Uncovers No Evidence That Photo ID Is Needed
Content: The analysis shows 491 cases of absentee ballot fraud and 400 cases of registration fraud. A required photo ID at the polls would not have prevented these cases. “The one issue I think is potentially important, though more or less ignored, is the overuse of absentee balloting, which provides far more opportunity for fraud and intimidation than on-site voter fraud,” said Daniel Lowenstein, a UCLA School of Law professor. Of reported election-fraud allegations in the database whose resolution could be determined, 46 percent resulted in acquittals, dropped charges or decisions not to bring charges. Minnite says prosecutions are rare. “ You have to be able to show that people knew what they were doing and they knew it was wrong and they did it anyway,” she said. “ It may be in the end they (prosecutors) can’t really show that the people who have cast technically illegal ballots did it on purpose.” Felons or noncitizens sometimes register to vote or cast votes because they are confused about their eligibility. The database shows 74 cases of felons voting and 56 cases of noncitizens voting. Voters make a lot of mistakes, from accidentally voting twice to voting in the wrong precinct.