COMMON SENSE WAYS TO BOOST VOTING, NIX VOTER FRAUD

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

The worst parts of the voting integrity bill pushed by Republicns are those that have nothing to do with voter integrity and are purely partisan. 

Namely, Democrats should fight to keep curbside open for everyone (could not find a single instance in Texas of voter found due to younger people voting curbside, while scores of instances have been documented of elders coerced during curbside voting). And they should also fight for very large cities to have 24 hour voting, again, which has not resulted in documented fraud. 

The 24-hour voting is a good idea for cities with over 300,000 people because the current voting hours in those heavily populated places are not sufficient for everyone to vote. If all 300,000-plus people tried to vote during normal hours, there wouldn't be enough time for everyone and that should be the basis of why, with one person one vote, it should be mandated there should be a calculation of population times  voting hours and number of locations. 

Curbside voting for everyone would speed things up. The best provisions of the election integrity bill are those that actually do prevent voting fraud as it has been documented in practice, and both parties should work together to pass measures to limit coercion and fraud, particularly to protect the elderly from voter abuse. 

Excellent provisions in SB1 include the $30,000 fine for those caught hiring politiqueros, the recording of ID of van drivers bringing 3 or more people to vote, installing cameras outside the polling place to record license plates, upgrading these crimes to felonies with mandatory sentences, requiring assistants to state they have not been paid and recording their ID, preventing van drivers from serving as assistant except to direct family members. 

No one should have a problem with the provisions that run citizenship records against voter ID and remove noncitizens from voting. The idea that vote by mail should require a Social Security or drivers license number on it isn't bad, but it is strange that the law appears to be worded that voters must use the same number both times. 

So, if someone uses the last four digits of their social on the application, then several months later uses their driver's license number on the ballot because they didn't remember whether they had provided their social or license on the application, is that ballot voided because the numbers don't match? 

That would be wrong. 

I'm not opposed to poll watchers but the state constitution states every citizen's vote must be "private and free from intimidation." Giving watchers the power to be close enough to watch people vote, people they may know or work with, is violating their right to vote in private. 

At the same time, both side should agree to laws to end the politiqueros and vote harvesting abuses, which are also a infringing on a voting in private and free from intimidation.

I don't recall reading it in the bill, but mandatory penalties for those who are caught not signing as an assistant on those ballots in order to hide their participation in a paid harvesting scheme, would be fair. 

Also, additional penalties if the victim is found to be mentally disabled, blind, or otherwise extremely vulnerable to abusive harvesting.