Real Life Survival Guide and Civics

At a recent recording session of the Real Life Survival Guide the importance of civics was discussed. (The program will air in a week or two.)  Voting is often touted as a civic duty. The issue of the right to vote and, who has the right to vote, is a big issue in this election.

Voter ID laws are seen by conservatives as a way of preventing voter fraud. On the other hand, actual cases of voter fraud are scarce. The Brennan Center for Justice, www.brennancenter.org, a nonpartisan public law and policy institute affiliated with the New York University School of Law, has studied the issue. They say the issue is a myth.   If you care to read more...go to the Truth About Voter Fraud.

Why the concern? This is going to be a close election. The losers in a close election usually claim widespread voter fraud. As the Brennan Center report points out, the allegations about widespread fraud do not pan out. 

Now there are reports that an offshoot of the Tea Party is recruiting a million volunteers to show up at polling places in minority neighborhoods this November to monitor those who show up to vote. The group calls itself "True the Vote." Common Cause released a report called, "Bullies at the Ballot Box." In it they quote "True the Vote" as rallying volunteers to block  “illegal alien vote” and “the food stamp army.” Their stated goal is to make the experience of voting “like driving and seeing the police behind you.”

This is an issue that is immediate in Worcester, Massachusetts. There are allegations of intimidation at the polls during the primary in Worcester last week. The Election Commission is set to discuss the issue at a meeting June 10, 2012. In an article in the Worcester Telegram there are allegations "that some observers engaged in voter intimidation and voter suppression with their actions, which included challenging the legality of some voters and giving orders to poll workers. There were also reports that some poll observers were illegally recording conversations between voters and poll workers."

As officials in Worcester say, the rules need to made clear and laws against illegal tactics need to be enforced.