Drudge leads this morning with this article, which notes that liberal voter registration group ACORN registered "Mickey Mouse" to vote in Florida. This is presented by outraged conservatives as evidence that Democrat voter fraud is rampant.
The list of conservative conspiracy theories is long and ever-growing. Conservatism, as currently constructed, is utterly dependent on the existence of nefarious, dark forces working secretly against Real Americans. ACORN is the bogeyman of the moment.
Leaving aside the fact that investigations of alleged mass voter fraud by Democrats have almost always come up empty, there's this: In most states, any group registering voters is required by law to turn in all registration cards that are filled out. If you walk up to a registration table, fill the card in as "Queen Victoria" and blow your nose on the signature line, that registration card still has to be turned into the appropriate state office.
There's a good reason for that law: it keeps me, for example, from setting up a voter registration table at a grocery store and then throwing a away all the cards from people I'd prefer didn't vote. People like, for example, you. You would then stroll confidently into your polling place, but would denied a ballot because you're not registered.
To keep people like me from screwing people like you, states-- including Florida -- passed laws requiring that all voter registration cards be turned in, whether they're filled out by Joe Six-Pack or Mickey Mouse. By law, it's not the job of the person gathering the cards to judge the legitimacy of the person attempting to register.
If ACORN had not turned in the Mickey Mouse registration card, ACORN would have been breaking the law. And eagle-eyed clerks working for state discovered the fraud and Mr. Mouse will not be allowed to vote -- unless he shows up with proper I.D. The system, in other words, worked.
So let's stuff the outrage, OK? Republicans are going to take a beating in November, and it has nothing to do with voter fraud.
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