Many people are asking about our specific goals. What does "voter integrity" really mean? So here are some examples of what we need in North Carolina (and beyond) in order to roll back some of the excesses of erring in the direction of allowing anybody to vote without any questions:
Voter registration
A photo ID and proof of citizenship should be required to register to vote.The registration period should end at least one week before an election. States should be required to clean up their registration lists by comparing them with lists of citizens who have died, been convicted of felonies, or relocated. State election officials should be permitted to set up centralized national lists of such individuals. Federal immigration lists of non-citizens should be made available to the states. Felons should not be permitted to register or vote before completing their sentences.
Absentee voting
The use of absentee ballots should be limited to individuals who are unable to vote in person, including those who are ill or disabled, and soldiers stationed overseas. A copy of a photo ID should be submitted along with all absentee ballots. The signatures on absentee ballots should either be notarized or witnessed by two other individuals who provide their own addresses and telephone numbers. The number of voter signatures any one individual is permitted to witness should be limited. Only voters, immediate family members and caregivers should be allowed to deliver absentee ballots on behalf of voters.
Provisional ballots
The use of provisional ballots should be limited to voters who actually need them. Provisional voters should affirm that they are registered and eligible to vote, and display a photo ID to the election official, who then verifies eligibility at the central registration office. Voters who are at the wrong polling place should be sent to the correct one.
Voting at a polling place
Voting is a sacred right to citizens of the United States. In order for "we the people" to believe and support the electoral process, we must have confidence in the integrity of that process. While our government has no qualms requiring us to provide state-issued photo ID for things like buying alcohol or fire arms, the only document a NC voter needs in order to vote is something that looks like a phone bill or a utility bill. This is just common sense: A state-issued photo ID should be required in order for a person to register as a voter or to exercise his/her actual vote.
Election monitoring and sanctions for fraud
State officials should be given greater powers to investigate election abuses.
Individuals who commit vote fraud should be routinely prosecuted, fined, and jailed. At present, such prosecutions are infrequent and jail sentences are almost non-existent.
And most importantly . . . organizations that systematically engage in vote fraud should be charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
