Article on Voter Fraud Hotline

From the Sioux Falls Argus Leader



Voter fraud hot line proposed

Candidate points to Florida in 2000 and Minnesota in '08

JOE SNEVE • JSNEVE@ARGUSLEADER.COM • AUGUST 21, 2010

The Republican candidate for secretary of state has plans to create a toll-free voter fraud hot line if elected, but his opponent says resources would be better spent on other voter issues.

State Sen. Jason Gant, R-Sioux Falls, said reports of voter fraud are increasing across the country and he doesn't want to see South Dakota have the issues that emerged in Florida during the 2000 presidential election or in Minnesota in 2008.

"What's taken place in Minnesota two years ago is a perfect example. They were counting ballots out of trunks of cars." Gant said referring to the U.S. Senate race between Al Franken and Norm Coleman. It took seven months and a Minnesota Supreme Court decision in favor of Franken to end the legal battle over allegations of improper ballot counting.

The hot line number would allow anyone who suspects possible voter fraud to notify the secretary of state from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day and during the early voting period, which is 45 days before the election, he said. It would apply to all elections.

Neither Iowa nor Minnesota has a voter fraud hot line, but Gant said many states, such as Georgia, do.

Although he doesn't oppose the idea, Gant's opponent, state Sen. Ben Nesselhuf, D-Vermillion, said resources would be better spent elsewhere because voter fraud does not seem to be a problem in South Dakota. Voter access is an area that needs improvement, he said.

"We've done a great job of eliminating voter fraud, and this is the other side of the coin," Nesselhuf said.

"Especially in our rural areas in South Dakota, we have a real problem of voters having the same access that voters in more populated areas do," he said. "That's something I think is just as important as making certain that we continue to not have voter fraud."

Secretary of State Chris Nelson agreed that voter fraud has been successfully dealt with in South Dakota.

"We've taken a number of steps over the last six years to eliminate some of the things that used to go on," Nelson said. "I think back to specifically the 2002 general election. We had numerous attempts to file fraudulent voter registration forms."

Since then, Nelson's office has implemented an automated system to compare voter registration forms to a list of felons, deceased people and driver's license and Social Security numbers.

"We've put in a lot of protections to make sure that that just simply can't happen anymore, and it doesn't," he said.

Voters also are required to present a photo ID before voting, a measure passed by the state Legislature during a recent session.

Posters and fliers inform people where to call if questions or concerns about voter rights arise, said Minnehaha County Auditor Sue Roust, but she's open to the idea of a voter fraud hot line.

"It's always possible that an oversight could happen at a polling place and if a voter sees something that concerns them, I think it's good for them to know where they can file a complaint," she said.

By Joe Sneve