( CNN ) -- Election Day will be consequential , perhaps a nail biter . Senate control may turn on a fistful of ballots in key states . Millions of Americans will be reminded again of their ramshackle election system . Lines are long , registration lists are error-filled , machines break down , and puzzled poll workers offer little help . This year , private citizens seeking to stop `` voter fraud '' could worsen the mess . Such unofficial and perhaps overheated activism may prove a far worse problem than phony voting itself . Nobody condones voter fraud . Every citizen has a right to know that ballots are legitimately cast and fairly counted . But illegal voting simply is not a widespread problem . An epidemic of voter fraud is an urban myth , like alligators living in the sewer . Fear of imaginary fraud must not be an excuse to block actual voting by real people . A recent example of the confusion sown by politically overheated allegations of fraud can be found in the much-ballyhooed charges by John McCain of voter fraud in 2008 , all of which proved to be false . Some canvassers were arrested for submitting fake registrations , a practice made worse by state laws requiring private groups to submit all registration applications , even the ones they know might be wrongly filled out . But phony voters never showed up to vote . One reason : First-time voters must always show ID . If Mickey Mouse registers to vote , he still must show ID . ( Even in Orlando , where they know him ! ) Of course , from our democracy 's earliest days , politicians zestfully have stuffed ballot boxes . Boss Tweed bragged : `` So long as I count the votes , what are you going to do about it ? '' Robert Caro , in his masterful biography , recounted how Lyndon Baines Johnson won his Senate seat in 1948 when officials `` found '' a lost box of votes , in which every single voter supported Johnson -- conveniently in alphabetical order . Even JFK joked about how Mayor Daley had stolen votes on his behalf . When misconduct occurred , it was overwhelmingly by politicians , rarely by rogue individual voters . And it is largely a thing of the past . Far more worrisome is another ominous strain in American history : ugly efforts to block legitimate voters , often targeting racial minorities . Evidence abounds . Future Chief Justice William Rehnquist got his start in politics striding up to Hispanic voters and demanding they prove their eligibility . In 2004 , partisans planned to challenge voters in Ohio . A federal judge who blocked the move found that less than one in five voters in majority white precincts would have had their eligibility questioned , while nearly every voter in African-American majority locations would be challenged . All of which brings us to today . In 2010 , there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud -- none . That 's not because nobody was looking . The Bush administration made vote fraud a top Justice Department priority . Yet from 2002 to 2005 , federal prosecutors convicted just 17 people nationwide for casting fraudulent ballots . Recall that it was the failure of prosecutors to move against nonexistent fraud that led to the political purge of U.S. attorneys in 2006 , a scandal that prompted the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales . Yes , many registration lists contain mistakes or wrong names . But that is a product of slipshod and inaccurate paper records , not because crooks wrongly sought to vote . Statistically , an individual is more likely to be hit by lightning than to vote fraudulently . Yet fear of fraud continues to grip many activists . According to a 2009 poll by Public Policy Polling , an astonishing 52 percent of Republicans believed the now-defunct group ACORN stole the presidential election for Barack Obama in 2008 , even though there 's no evidence that such a theft occurred . During its voter registration campaign that year , ACORN said it signed up 1.3 million voters , a small percentage of which were fraudulent -- an amount that independent analysts said had negligible effect . Hardly a stolen election . On Election Day , some conservatives may fan out to polling places , demanding proof of eligibility and generally raising a ruckus . The Michigan GOP website describes a plan to post 3,600 challengers at Democratic-leaning polling places . The Illinois Republican candidate for Senate brags he will mount the largest `` voter integrity program '' in 15 years . More troubling are new efforts by angry private citizens . Tea Party groups have hosted challenger training sessions in at least four states . Talk show hosts are urging vigilance . People can now report voters they deem suspicious with two new iPhone apps . `` Ballot security '' squads manned by angry , under-trained activists at a polling place could easily spawn intimidation or chaos . How can we make sure this does n't happen ? Tea Party members and others must take care that monitoring does not cross the line into intimidation . Law enforcement should make clear what is illegal , including strong presence by local police when appropriate . And in the longer run , conservatives and liberals alike should agree on reforms to voter registration so that all eligible citizens are on the rolls permanently , minimizing any possibility of fraud while maximizing participation . Many states are moving in this direction already . When it comes to voting , let 's all agree : vigilance , yes ; vigilantism , never . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michael Waldman .
Michael Waldman says recent charges of widespread voter fraud turn out to be urban myth . He says ballot box-stuffing in U.S. is history ; new , real worry is blocking legitimate voters . He says evidence of challenging voters at polls , often minorities , abounds in recent years . TL;DR The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday on whether states can require photo ID for voting. Voting activists must prevent intimidation for political advantage at polls .