By RAY ADLER
Election Board President
The 2022 election is just around the corner, and it will have been 17 years from the Carter-Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform, conducted in 2005. For those unfamiliar with the Carter-Baker Commission, it was a private, bipartisan organization tasked with examining our nation’s electoral process in light of the controversies surrounding the 2000 and 2004 presidential election. The Commission was led by former United State President Jimmy Carter and James A. Baker III, a senior official in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administration. The Commission also included former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, Democrat, and former Democratic Indiana congressman Lee Hamilton.
Among the recommendations made by the Carter-Baker Commission, it recommended a uniform photo identification requirement as well as providing additional resources to assist individuals without a driver license obtain a photo ID. The Commission also found that absentee voting encourages voter fraud and vote buying schemes. As President of the Hamilton County Election Board, I am devoted to providing Hamiltonians with a fair and transparent election process, and I take the threat of voter fraud seriously. That is why I support the requirement of a photo ID to vote and concur with the Carter-Baker Commission in recognizing the increased risk of voter fraud in absentee and mail-in voting. A recent Rasmussen survey found that 80 percent of Americans supported voter ID requirements. Yet, Democratic leadership across our nation have fervently opposed such reasonable and responsible measures.
Were the prominent Democrats on the Carter-Baker Commission wrong to find that widespread absentee voting increases the likelihood of voter fraud? Are not citizens who vote absentee or by mail more susceptible to pressure and intimidation? When citizens increasingly vote by absentee or by mail, how can we ensure the purity of the electoral process?
There are at least 21 nursing homes in Hamilton County. Do we blanket mail ballots to all those residents? When a nursing home employee brings in 15 absentee ballots, as happened in the last election, do we thank them for being helpful or reject the votes as ballot harvesting? How can the authenticity of those votes be determined? How do we regulate monitoring the voting of the thousands of immigrants coming across the border and working in Indiana?
President Biden recently talked about an unfolding assault taking place in an attempt to suppress the right to vote. Democratic lawmakers have proposed sweeping voting legislation, including H.R. 1 and the cleverly named John Lewis Voting Rights Act. H.R.1 would prohibit states from passing voter ID laws and would require states to permit permanent mail-in voting. Moreover, both pieces of legislation would federalize large aspects of the election process, ceasing control from state and local government.
As a 45-year resident of Hamilton County, I trust the citizens of Hamilton County to ensure the purity of our electoral process much more than a bureaucrat in Washington. Further, I can assure you that the members of the Hamilton County Election Board are committed to preserving your right to vote and protecting the legitimacy of every one of our elections, whether local or federal. Voter suppression is not occurring in Hamilton County. I encourage our residents to engage in the electoral process and register to vote. Our community is defined by each of its members, and I implore every eligible citizen to participate in this fundamental civic duty.