The Iowa Secretary of State is fixing to scare off a group of criminals who must be insanely smart. These folks commit their crimes in front of numerous witnesses. They always offer a handwriting sample first. They never get caught. They are so sly, people never even know the crime occurred.
They are Iowa's fraudulent voters.
Deputy of Elections Mary Mosiman was on the radio Monday warning about this crime. She was pinch-hitting for Secretary Schultz, who yanked himself at the very last moment. Was Schultz too embarrassed to finger these elusive voters with Mosiman's evidence? Listen to her case:
“If they did want to commit fraud, they could go in as somebody else, they could vote. They would be long gone before anybody knew about it, assuming that person that was really the voter did not come in. We still wouldn't know because when that actual person came in, the person who committed the fraud so to speak would be gone.”
Yes, unlike dumb criminals, these people leave the scene after they commit their crimes. When asked for actual instances of this crime Mosiman repeated herself:
“Personally, I can say, that if it did occur, we would never know because the person who committed that crime is long gone. Have there been any instances that have been caught and prosecuted? None that I am aware of.”
In other words, “It never happens.” If it had, the Deputy of Elections would be able to cite places and dates rather than baseless fears.
Just consider the risks these criminals take:
*They cannot impersonate a deceased voter because those names are regularly removed from the rolls.
*They cannot impersonate an inactive voter, because inactive voters already must show an ID.
*They cannot impersonate someone who has already voted, because that is a dead giveaway!
*They cannot impersonate someone who shows up later because their signature forgery would be strong evidence against them. (Plus the number of times it has happened would become known by the number of alleged forgeries. So far that number is at zero, even according to Mosiman.)
They must impersonate an active voter who does not actually show up later to vote. It must be one who would not be recognized by any poll worker or poll watcher. See how smart these criminals are! How do they do it?
Never mind that question. Secretary Schultz wants an ID law!
The Iowa county auditors saw this coming in November when Schultz rode the wave into office. They formed a study group and prepared to write a report. They even visited other states to hear in person from other election officials who also contend with these smart criminal voters.
Never mind that report. House Republicans wrote a voter ID bill and passed it without waiting for the auditors to report. Damn the facts, full speed ahead.
The bill was so bad the auditors voted to oppose it.
On the radio Mosiman admitted that she had once advised Schultz the ID cards were not needed. Now she covers for him, saying she is “hearing” new talk without saying if was factual, fanciful, or irrational talk.
Even if those these criminals are so smart that they always escape—so smart that we aren't even sure they exist—in another way they are insane. Consider this:
. . .why would any sane person risk going to prison to influence an election by one vote? It is all the more implausible to imagine an army of impersonators coordinating their efforts on a scale that could affect an election, let alone doing so without being detected. That is why the election fraud that's actually been tried involves ballot-box stuffing or bulk submitting of absentee ballots—schemes that allow a few people to roll up a lot of fraudulent votes. A photo-ID requirement does nothing to prevent those real shenanigans
So what is really going on here? Do Schultz and his Republican allies really fear these imaginary criminals? Or do they see a way to shrink the electorate? Could they maybe shrink it enough someday to get back to just letting white property owners vote? Maybe so.
cross-posted at Iowa Voters.