( CNN ) -- In an outrageous recent fundraising letter the Democratic National Committee solicited funds from the party faithful on the grounds that the DNC was the last remaining bulwark against a series of anti-election-fraud initiatives `` in more than 40 states . '' That 's right , the DNC appears to be standing up for potential fraud â€ ” presumably because ending it would disenfranchise at least two of its core constituencies : the deceased and double-voters . Across America , Republican and Democratic legislatures have put forth voter identification laws this year to protect the constitutional values of equal protection and one person one vote , and for good reason . Election fraud is a real and persistent threat to our electoral system , with allegations cropping up in every election cycle . Just in December , for example , a prosecutor in Indiana launched an investigation into allegations that some fraudulent signatures on petitions may have allowed President Obama to get on the ballot in that state 's 2008 primary . Unsurprisingly , 69 % of 1,000 likely voters , according to a recent Rasmussen poll , believe voters should be required to show photo identification before being allowed to vote . But Democrats in Washington disagree . And in their fundraising letter they even went so far as to reference the despicable Jim Crow laws of the segregated South . Will Crossley , the DNC 's counsel and voter protection director , wrote , `` Republicans are introducing and passing laws that make voting more difficult . '' He went on , `` If that infuriates you ... there 's something you can do right now . Help us keep up the fight by donating to support Democrats . '' But the DNC 's premise is fundamentally flawed . It rests on the assumption that it is harder for certain groups of voters to cast their ballots because they do n't have access to proper identification . This overlooks the fact that states include provisions to provide free identification cards to those who ca n't afford them . Moreover , a study for the Heritage Foundation , a conservative think tank , reported that voter participation increased for the 2008 election in states such as Indiana and Georgia , even after the passage of stronger elections laws . The disastrous results that opponents predicted never materialized . Voter identification laws are common sense and an effective way to combat election fraud . And , according to the U.S. Supreme Court , they are constitutional . In 2008 , the court upheld Indiana 's voter ID law , saying it could find no evidence that the new requirements burdened voters . And that all raises the question : Why the hostile letter from the DNC ? I 'm afraid it may reveal something very disturbing : Democrats know they benefit from election fraud . Consider the sordid tale of the liberal organization Acorn , the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now . In 2008 , Acorn was responsible for 400,000 faulty voter registrations , including those of deceased individuals , nonresidents , previously registered voters and fictional characters . Other voter fraud allegations surfaced in at least 10 states . That same year , the outcome of the election in many states was determined by a fraction of that many votes . In other words , fraudulent registrations have the potential for significant consequences . And here 's the thing to remember : Acorn 's political arm enthusiastically supported Obama 's candidacy , and Democrats have long defended the organization . There are other examples of faulty or fraudulent voting . In the 2010 midterms , 5,000 non-citizens voted in the Colorado Senate race , according to a study by the Colorado State Department . It also found that 12,000 non-citizens were registered to vote in Colorado . In Illinois , an analysis of Census data earlier this year revealed that 14 counties have more registered voters than voting-age residents , due in part , one county clerk said , to slowness in purging voter rolls when residents move . In my home state of Wisconsin , recent legislation attempted to curb voting irregularities , which were of such concern that the Milwaukee Police Department commissioned an unprecedented two-year investigation . The 2008 report warned that some instances of illegal voting in the 2004 election left open the possibility of an `` illegal organized attempt to influence the outcome '' of a state election . In an effort to show that voter fraud is not isolated to a handful of states , the Republican National Lawyers Association recently began documenting known cases of voter fraud . To date , they have found at least one documented case of fraud in each of 46 states over the last decade . And no one knows how many instances of fraud go unnoticed . Something has to change . If not , fraud will dilute the power of the individual 's vote and destroy the integrity of our system . The sole purpose of voter identification laws is to avoid that fate . The right of every citizen to have a vote must be vigorously defended , and these laws protect that right . No matter what Washington Democrats say , there is absolutely no evidence that anyone has , or would be , disenfranchised . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Reince Priebus .
Reince Priebus says Dems ' letter opposes GOP moves to fight voter fraud . He said it gives the impression the party is trying to disenfranchise voters . He says likely voters would want voters to have photo ID ; high court has upheld ID law . Priebus : Voter ID laws are common ##place , effective way to fight faulty and fraudulent voting .