(Oct. 19) -- Allegations of widespread voter fraud have filled local headlines for the past several days and have some election officials worrying that Nevada could become the 'Florida' of this year's election. Is there a way to tighten up the voter registration system without discouraging people from exercising their most fundamental right?
Some state leaders are already looking for solutions ask elections chief Larry Lomax about the source of most of his headaches and he answers money -- whether it's allegations of shredded forms, or of ghost voters with phantom addresses, or of forgeries, or intimidation -- most of it traces back to money.
Money that is paid by the national political parties to fund registration drives, money paid by/to parties or companies to de facto registrars, often itinerant workers whom Lomax compares to traveling carnies. One way to get a handle on the excesses of these street corner entrepreneurs is to stop the flow of cash.
Larry Lomax, with the Clark County Election Department, says, "Make it illegal to pay them by the form or by anything. Don't know how you police it, but if it's illegal to pay people, it implies your motives would be pure if you are willing to spend the time."
Consider the daunting task facing the election department Lomax issued more than 350,000 mail-in registration forms this year. He got 270,000 of them back, which means 80,000 forms haven't been accounted for.
Changes in recent years have created DMV registration, mail-ins, early voting. It's all earlier, easier, but also easier to finagle. Lomax would like to see a law requiring those who get the forms to be responsible for tracking them.
Republican Assemblyman Bob Beers thinks it might require tighter controls than just tracking. "Everyone who's been to the library has seen the stacks on the table. Anyone can take them and put them back and there's no tracking these forms. It's not just the elections department tracking, but also citizens should stop treating the forms so lightly."
Beers is all for greater citizen participation but not at the cost of the integrity of the elections themselves. Democratic Senator Terry Care is disgusted by the whole tenor of this year's campaign and favors putting some teeth into penalties for voter fraud.
"The right to vote is fundamental to our system of government. The time has come to talk about penalties, and I mean severe penalties, find out who the people are behind things and even prosecuting with a felony at stake. I'd look at that," Care said.
Both Care and Beers say they hope to be involved in the discussion during the legislative session. They and Lomax are hoping for the best on Election Day, but wouldn't be surprised if things end in a mess.
It is already illegal to pay private registrars a bounty for each voter they sign up. But most election officials suspect such activity was rampant in Nevada this year. Some suggest putting a penalty on the employer who pays the bounty as a way to enforce the law. It's an idea that could be discussed during the upcoming legislature.
