Any Voter Fraud Here?

  By Florida Bill                      
                        
                                          In response to vote tallies which showed the new President had not won the popular vote after his surprise election last November, President Trump insisted that if only the legitimate votes were counted, he would have won the popular vote handily.  He said that he intended to appoint a commission to investigate illegal voting, and he is following through on his  promise. 
                                          Does the President have a point, or is he just blowing smoke to massage his ego? 
                                          The President's observation and those of his advisers and attorneys touch upon the fact that there are about 11.5 million persons residing illegally in the country and another 32 million immigrants who are permanent and legal residents by virtue of a visa or a green card entitling them to call America their home. But none of these 43 million persons are citizens  and therefore none of them are eligible to vote. To President Trump, therein lies the problem.  
                                          There is plenty of speculation, from many corners, including opinions from election experts, that immigrants, both legal and illegal, have registered to vote.  And it was with this in mind that the president created the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.  Some election authorities suspect that non-citizen aliens managed to register as voters and then did indeed show up and vote in the election.  How many? Its any one's guess.  The president says "millions."  His opponents say "No Way--just  a wounded Trump ego."                                                                                                        Voter rolls change daily, but updating them and keeping them current is a difficult process. The names of voters who die often remain on the voter lists until a canvas, and even then, mistakes are made.  With the use of absentee ballots, it is almost inevitable there will be fraud caused by "ballots from the grave" in elections, but overall, it amounts to virtually nothing, and has no impact on the results.  So long as men are mortal, there will always be canvases before every election which unintentionally fail to remove  all names of deceased voters. This is not the type of illegitimate voting of which the Republican president and his election advisers speak.
                                         If an individual is registered to vote, and his name is in the binders on election day, he will be permitted to cast a ballot. So how does an individual register to vote and what credentials does he need for that process? 
                                         It varies from state to state, but in general, there are three requirements for any applicant who wishes to register and become a voter in federal and state elections.  He must be a citizen, at least 18 years old on the day of the scheduled election, and he must be a resident of the jurisdiction where the election will be held, and be able to prove it. Once an applicant meets those basic requirements, his or her name is included in the binder that lists voters in the precinct where he will be voting.
                                            To prove citizenship in most jurisdictions, although there are always some variations, the applicant in some jurisdictions needs only to "affirm" the fact that he is a citizen, and he accomplishes that by putting an "X" in the appropriate box. So, hoodwinking the registration process is not terribly difficult, and permanent resident aliens may actually believe they have citizen's rights and are entitled to vote, when in actuality, they are not. 
                                             Also, there is speculation that some aliens intentionally misrepresent their status on the application for registration when applying in person at a government office, or, when the process is available, on the Internet.  Once registered, the voter will not be challenged except for residency requirements if there has been a change of address. Residency challenges occur when the name of the person seeking to vote is not on the voting list.  Generally, these challenges are investigated immediately and if legitimate change of address has occurred,  the individual will be permitted to vote.  As a general rule, citizenship is never challenged once registration has taken place.                                              
                                             It is President Trump's opinion and belief that immigrant voters who are in the country legally and illegally have registered and voted for Mrs. Clinton because of their Democratic party affiliation, and for their belief in her promises to provide free schooling and medical care  and a road to citizenship for legal and illegal residents. When all of these points are taken into consideration, the aim of the new commission is to determine the extent, if any, of illegal voting by non-citizens and its impact on election numbers is a legitimate inquiry.  
                                             At last count, more than 40 states have declined to cooperate with the Integrity Commission and provide detailed voting records.  Officials in these states assert that allowing scrutiny of records would amount to a gross and unnecessary snooping into the privacy of voting Americans.   Federal authorities are promising to protect that privacy and are meeting with state election officials seeking a compromise of some sort.  An impasse would probably lead to litigation. 
                                             President Trump was elected president on Nov. 8 of last year, receiving a majority of the electoral college votes, 304-227.  He lost the popular vote to Mrs. Clinton who received 65.8 million votes to Trump's 62.9 million, a difference of about 2.8 million.  
                                           

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