In the United States, for every elected office, there are specific eligibility requirements which must be met before a candidate can be certified to be placed on the ballot. The authorizing agency has the responsibility to verify that all are met before certifying that eligibility. For example, the number of legal signatures required on a petition are counted. If a lower number is submitted, the petition is rejected. The candidate can't simply say he has met the condition which could clearly lead to deception and fraud. It is no different from accepting the claim for any other condition. Without proper verification for EVERY other condition, fraud is possible. The controversy over Obama's eligibility of his claim to being a natural born American citizen indicates that none of the certifying agencies ever saw a proper birth certificate or the dispute would never have been raised.
The same is true for those who vote. The citizenship requirement to vote in national elections demands that citizenship must be verified or, in the same way, deception and fraud have an open door to contaminating the voting system. Objection to such a system of verification invites non-citizens to commit a crime. In a sense, making a criminal act easier to accomplish is "aiding and abetting". Those who really believe in free and honest elections are at a disadvantage because their votes could be nullified by dishonest voters. The integrity of elections would forever be in question. Verification would restore confidence in an institution which is the basis for peoples' willingness to let representatives of the people make decisions which affect every aspect of their lives. One of the many reasons Americans oppose illegal immigration is that those who promote it are seen as encouraging it as a method for obtaining illegal votes, something only tyrants would promote. This notion is reinforced when ID's for voters are fiercely opposed by the same people who encourage illegal immigration.
Trust but verify could solve several problems at the same time.
The same is true for those who vote. The citizenship requirement to vote in national elections demands that citizenship must be verified or, in the same way, deception and fraud have an open door to contaminating the voting system. Objection to such a system of verification invites non-citizens to commit a crime. In a sense, making a criminal act easier to accomplish is "aiding and abetting". Those who really believe in free and honest elections are at a disadvantage because their votes could be nullified by dishonest voters. The integrity of elections would forever be in question. Verification would restore confidence in an institution which is the basis for peoples' willingness to let representatives of the people make decisions which affect every aspect of their lives. One of the many reasons Americans oppose illegal immigration is that those who promote it are seen as encouraging it as a method for obtaining illegal votes, something only tyrants would promote. This notion is reinforced when ID's for voters are fiercely opposed by the same people who encourage illegal immigration.
Trust but verify could solve several problems at the same time.
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