Reply #20: IN StarNews Editorial: Be diligent, careful in voter list cleanup

[freedomfries]

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August 3, 2006 editorial
Be diligent, careful in voter list cleanup

Our position: Voting lists should be purged of inaccuracies, but the work must be done carefully.

Both political parties have it right.
Cleaning up voter registration rolls is, as Republicans insist, an important job that has been put off for far too long. Yet, it's a task that must be done carefully, as Democrats contend, to ensure that eligible voters aren't disenfranchised.
Republicans are legitimately concerned that as many as one in four names on Indiana's registration lists may be invalid. The lists contain duplicate names of voters who have moved from one precinct to another, as well as names of the deceased or people who have left the state.
Marion County Clerk Doris Anne Sadler says as many as one in three names on the county's list may be invalid. A vendor contracted by the secretary of state's office supplied a list containing 36,000 names of improperly registered voters in Marion County. Local Republicans say they're certain nearly 4,500 of those people are registered more than once. Those names absolutely should be removed.
It's important for the integrity of elections that voter lists be accurate. Although there's scant evidence that inaccuracies on voting lists are generating widespread fraud, appearances matter. Voters shouldn't be given any cause for concern that their ballots are being canceled by someone voting from multiple precincts.
As a practical matter, inaccurate lists also are costly. Sadler says purging invalid names could lead to reductions in the number of polls and poll workers, saving the county $380,000 every election.
Democrats, however, are right in insisting that every vote is important. No one should be disenfranchised because his or her name has been inaccurately removed from a registration list.


http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060803/OPINION/608030381
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