Voting 99.9% legitimate

When I wash my hands using the soap besides my kitchen sink, the label clearly states that it kills 99.9% of all germs (Reference).

Personally I find this comforting, unnecessary maybe, but comforting all the same.

When I hear the results for public elections in the United States, especially national elections, I understand that these results are 99.9% accurate.

• In 2008 more than 120 million people cast ballots for the November election (reference). Even with an aggressive agenda of stopping voter fraud, the Justice Department was unable to charge more than 200 people (reference).

Even if we were to subtract 10million votes from the 2008 election, we would still need to find 120,000 cases of voter fraud to equate to .1% of the total ballots cast. With all of that said, I feel pretty confident when I hear the final results, naturally barring exceptionally close races were recounts are warranted.

Now, on the subject of voters being required to provide a photo ID in order to cast a ballot, I feel that this is a completely unnecessary measure.

I believe that it would be a nearly impossible task to eliminate 100% of all voter fraud, much the same as it would be impossible to eliminate 100% of any such discrepancy (i.e. germs on hands).

There are some cases of ballot fraud, but requiring citizens to provide a government issued photo ID at the ballot box is not going to fix this problem. Remember, there are far more cases of false ID in the United States than there are of ballot fraud (reference).

For me it comes down to an issue of individual liberties and government control.

I agree that it is a relatively minor task, that I provide photo identification at the ballot box. Honestly, I already have two government furnished photo IDs.

However, it is an unnecessary request and equates to just another government requirement.

In reality this requirement, or anything of the sort, stands to accomplish two things:

1. Place an additional barrier between citizens and the ballot box
2. Add another item to an already long list of government requirements.

Again, if we are already looking at a statistically insignificant amount of wrongfully cast ballots, what good does this sort of requirement stand to accomplish?