The Mexican electoral system is perhaps the most fraud proof in the world. America's, by comparison, is a mess. Our system is different from state to state, and is open to all kinds of fraud.
It wasn't always this way. In fact, Mexico's system used to be a corrupt mess. The 1988 presidential election in Mexico was plagued with scandal and widespread corruption. Not wanting to put the country through another ordeal, the major parties agreed to create a non-partisan and non-governmental electoral commission that would conduct the voting process, and ensure honest and fair elections. In 1990, the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) was created, and the first presidential election was held under the new rules in 2000.
The electoral system created by IFE is open and transparent. Every eligible Mexican citizen has a tamper-proof photo-ID card with a thumbprint and an embossed hologram. All voters are required to vote in their neighborhoods and in 2005, the law was amended to allow for ”external,” or out of country absentee voting. There is no such thing as a provisional ballot. All elections are held on Sundays. Mexico is a relatively poor country yet does not lower standards to allow for the poor to register and vote as is done in America. No excuses are made while setting a high standard for all with no discernible drop in voter participation.There is also no early voting in Mexico. When we dare talk about requiring identification to vote here in America, the left screams that it would suppress the vote. When the Republican legislature in Ohio passed an election reform bill to curtail early voting from 6 weeks to 4, Democrats had a fit and got their union masters to fork up the cash for an expensive petition drive to put the issue on the ballot. Again, they claimed that the evil Republicans were taking away voters' rights and trying to suppress the vote.
The registration process requires all citizens to personally enroll. Proof of birth or citizenship is step one. Applicants are photographed and fingerprinted and then required to personally return to collect their voting credential.
However, the facts simply do not bear that out. Consider these Mexican electoral numbers from before and after the reforms.
In 1994, voter registration was 45 million, which was 50% of the population. In 2009, it rose to 72 million which is 65% of the population. So, even though the reforms made it more involved to register, registration actually increased.
What about turnout? Did the tough new voter ID laws and lack of voting by mail suppress the vote? Let's compare apples to apples and look at presidential elections.
In the 1988 election, there were 19.6 million votes cast, representing about 25% of the population.
In 2006, under the strict new rules, the number of votes cast skyrocketed to 41.7 million, which was almost 40% of the population.
What could explain this? My opinion is that Mexican citizens finally felt confident that their system was clean and honest. They no longer felt that their vote wouldn't count because of fraud. Citizens who were once apathetic because they knew the system was broken are now partipating at a higher rate because they now know that their vote counts and won't be negated by cheating.
This is compelling evidence that laws aimed at eliminating vote fraud do not supress the vote, but actually increase voter participation. Fully 70% of the U.S. population believes that a photo ID should be required to vote.
Liberals who oppose these common sense ideas want the system to remain open to fraud. There is no other explanation.
When it comes to electoral integrity, the United States needs to follow Mexico's example. Our system needs an upgrade to Mexican standards.
http://twitter.com/Bytor3BP
Yes, Nick. The US needs to upgrade to Mexican standards, like violence and bribes and 8 year old kids employed at vote checkers...
ReplyDelete""Halconcitos" (children, often eight years old or less, who unexpectedly popped into voting booths to confirm how ballots were marked) reported to PRI bosses outside polling stations. Voters with the temerity to vote for the opposition suffered the consequences - sometimes no cash bribe, sometimes blacklisting for future PRI goodies, and occasionally a beating. Some voters were convinced by threats of physical violence, a practice that has a long history in some historic PRI enclaves. Some gave up their voting cards days in advance of the election, in exchange for "dispensas" (baskets with basic food or small kitchen appliances). "
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/12568222-mexicos-presidential-election-is-over-but-mexican-summer-revolution-could-be-beginning
Joseph, usually your comments are more intelligent than this idiocy. Electoral laws can prevent vote fraud, but they can't prevent people from selling their vote.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that parties may be resorting to bribery and violence is evidence that they can't cheat anymore.
You have zero serious arguments that voter id is harmful. Liberals want the system open to fraud so ACORN type groups can continue to cheat. There is no other explanation.
Thanks for the typical unserious progressive response though. It reinforced my point that you guys will continue to mislead people about this issue.
Mexican elections are rife with corruption and bribery and voter intimidation. US elections are not.
ReplyDeleteVoter ID laws in the US are a solution in search of a problem. There are only a handful of cases of actual voter fraud in Ohio and none, as far as I know, where someone attempted to impersonate someone else in order to cast a vote for them.
As a conservative I find it difficult to believe that you would like to see the US add additional layers of bureaucracy and invest billions and billions of dollars to provide every citizen with a voter ID card to prevent a problem that just does not exist.
The fact is, and Republicans around the county have openly admitted it, that these laws will disenfranchise poor, elderly and young voters who typically vote for Democrats. And to pretend otherwise is dishonest.
The point is not to emulate Mexico, the point is voter ID makes elections more legit. . .if this wasn't the case, why then does the Carter Center travel around the world overseeing/advising other countries to use voter ID? If the Carter Center can support voter ID around the world, why don't they come out and encourage it/demand it here in their own country?
ReplyDelete"One Cherokee, One Vote … With Valid ID, Just like Post-Apartheid South Africa Requires"
http://sonoranalliance.com/2012/06/02/one-cherokee-one-vote-with-valid-id-just-like-post-apartheid-south-africa-requires/
So it's okay to encourage the Cherokee nation to use Id's (does Elizabeth Warren have one???); it's okay for an American organization to recommend that South Africa, Zambia, Dominican Republic utilize some sort of ID to facilitate fair elections, but not here???
"Perhaps Congress can invite former President Jimmy Carter to provide expert testimony to support states voter ID laws because it appears by their copious years of reporting, that it has been his Carter Center’s decades-long international experience that voters adequately identifying themselves to election officials provides “additional safeguards”, “a substantial degree of security and confidence in the electoral” system, no matter what country, what race, what color, what language."
http://sonoranalliance.com/2012/06/02/one-cherokee-one-vote-with-valid-id-just-like-post-apartheid-south-africa-requires/
Mexican elections are rife with corruption and bribery and voter intimidation. US elections are not.
ReplyDeleteThats a product of culture and has been going on long before Mexico enacted its reforms. It is not a result of their new electoral system.
Voter ID laws in the US are a solution in search of a problem. There are only a handful of cases of actual voter fraud in Ohio and none, as far as I know, where someone attempted to impersonate someone else in order to cast a vote for them.
Completely untrue. It is a problem. The reason there aren't many documented cases is that it is nearly impossible to catch people without a massive committment of manpower to do research. Most of it happens through the absentee voting system, which is way too loose.
This woman voted for Obama at least 10 times. This is what you are trying to protect. How many more do we NOT know about?
http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/29/mississippi-naacp-leader-sent-to-prison-for-10-counts-of-voter-fraud/
In 2008, hundreds of felons illegally voted in Minnesota. Clear cases of illegal voting. That probably put Al Franken over the top. Without Al Franken in the Senate, there would almost surely be no Obamacare. This is serious business, and our election laws are far too lax. Major reform is needed.
As a conservative I find it difficult to believe that you would like to see the US add additional layers of bureaucracy and invest billions and billions of dollars to provide every citizen with a voter ID card to prevent a problem that just does not exist.
I've covered that it does exist. If there are a few basic functions of government that conservatives believe in, ensuring an honest democratoc process is definitely one of them.
The fact is, and Republicans around the county have openly admitted it, that these laws will disenfranchise poor, elderly and young voters who typically vote for Democrats. And to pretend otherwise is dishonest.
Absolute hogwash. 70% of America disagrees with you, including a majority of Democrats.
We are a close election away from a national crisis. We deserve to be confident in our system. And people are becoming less confident in our system every time more stories of fraud are uncovered. We have non-citizens on the voter rolls here in Lorain County because of the motor voter law that requires ZERO identification to register to vote.
Liberals want the system open to fraud. It's that simple.
Questions for Joseph....
ReplyDeleteYou need an ID to buy a beer at a bar, is that racist?
You need an ID to get married, is that racist?
You need an ID to Pick up tickets at a concert or sporting event, is that racist?
I need an ID to pick up my kid at daycare, is that racist?
You need an ID to open a bank account, is that racist?
It goes on and on. ID's for voting are about one thing, stopping voter fraud. Unions BUSSED people from out of state to Wisconsin to take advantage of their same day vote registration and vote against Walker.This issue is a joke, and people who oppose ID's for voting do so because they want to protect voter fraud, right Joe?
There's a lot more than just the photo-Id aspect of the Mexican electoral system. For starters, a valid birth cert is needed to register to vote.
ReplyDelete2nd, the thumbprint is more reliable than a photo to ensure identity/vote security. Absentee voting is non-existent in Mexico because they and most of the world know it is the easiest way to commit voter fraud. As it stands with the chaotic U.S. system, one can register multiple times in different states, counties and ask for ballots from each one. I know a former Oberlin College student who registered to vote there, then moved to Colorado and registered there, then moved again to Columbus and registered there. He voted for Obama in 2008 by absentee ballot but can't recall which state he got his ballot from. A great system, huh.
As for Carter, in 2005 he co-chaired a bi-partisan commission proposing electoral reforms and one of them was voter ID among others.
Most of Mexico accepts the outcome of the election and the reports of the 8-year olds is Left-wing propaganda, much like the hysterical kind we get from the Left here.
Full disclosure: I am a PAN party member and my candidate came in 3rd. Still I accept that the PRI candidate won. Was there vote-buying? Probably and by all parties. With or without, the PRI would have won anyway. The pre-election polls were almost identical to the final outcome.
Will the LEft accept Romney as president or blame Obama's loss on the "Halconcitos?"