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Advocacy Blog
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Controversy Surrounding Voting Fraud Report
The New York Times reports that the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), responsible for conducting nonpartisan election research, down played the findings of experts that there was modest voter fraud around the nation. The EAC instead issued a report that concluded "there is a great deal of debate on the pervasiveness of fraud in elections as well as what constitute the most common acts of fraud or intimidation." The released report endorses justifications for voter identification laws and the assertion made by Republican politicians that voter fraud is pervasive.
The original report on fraud cites "evidence of some continued outright intimidation and suppression" of voters by local officials, especially in some American Indian communities, while the final report says only that voter "intimidation is also a topic of some debate because there is little agreement concerning what constitutes actionable voter intimidation." The original report said most experts believe that "false registration forms have not resulted in polling place fraud," but the final report cites "registration drives by nongovernmental groups as a source of fraud."
This is an interesting contrast in findings; considering the impression that nonprofits producing faulty registration forms were a source of fraud, inviting dangerous consequences for the sector as a whole and hurt organizations who partake in successful registration drives. Additionally two weeks ago the EAC faced criticism for refusing to release another report on voter identification laws. That report found that voter identification laws designed to fight fraud can reduce turnout, particularly among minorities. The commission didn't endorse these findings because of methodological concerns.
Posted by Amanda Adams
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