And the envelope please…

The award for most outrageous voter fraud story of the weekend goes to the good canvassers of Pittsburgh who used a petition to legalize marijuana to snare students and secretly change their polling stations. You faced tough competition, but your sneaky scam was both creative and effective-- we haven’t even figured out who you are yet! Congratulations. Seriously, this is not the first example, and surely not the last, of voting fraud tactics targeting students. So be on the lookout, and let us know if you come across anything suspicious.

Instances of potential voter fraud and disenfranchisement are accumulating at an alarming rate all over the country. GOP operatives in multiple states have been accused over the past week of destroying Democratic registration forms. For their part, Republicans accuse Democrats both of “crying wolf” about non-existent voter fraud for media attention and of voter fraud of their own, especially in fiercely contested Ohio. To combat allegedly ineligible people from voting in these counties, Republicans have recruited volunteers to challenge voters at their polling station, reported the New York Times.

Provisional ballots in particular have really put themselves in the race to be the new hanging chad, getting a head-start on their national name recognition with scandal even before the election begins. In Michigan, whether and how they’ll count is still being decided in various courts throughout the state. And the issue is already getting national media attention, including in a Time magazine article on potential problems this election.

Any partisan solutions, even much-needed monitoring, seem like they may just lead to even greater suspicion and animosity between the warring halves of our political world. Thankfully, some impartial parties have been making their influence heard. Better late than never, the New York Times has weighed in on the reforms that should have happened for this election, but instead will have another four years until they are effectively put in place. And some states, most notably Florida, have set up objective task forces to monitor Election Day and combat voter fraud.

The only sure thing is that all this could cause more than just dubious and drawn-out election results. If voters this year, energized in a way the electorate hasn’t been in far too long, doubt that their votes have even been counted, you can be sure that apathy will be back in full-swing next time around.

So, if you’ve just recently registered, make sure that you call your local board of elections to check that your registration went through. And, you can use the Rock The Vote website to find out where your polling station is. Check out this voting advice if you’re really gung-ho and want to make sure you’re prepared to do it right.
- Anna Deknatel