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Almost 2m US voters dead, research reveals
Source: Agencies |
February 16, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
MORE than 1.8 million dead people are listed as active voters in the United States and about 2.75 million people have active registration in more than one state, according to a Pew Center report.
The result of an outdated and inefficient registration system is that one in eight US voter registrations, a total of 24 million, is invalid or inaccurate, according to the non-partisan think tank's research.
US electoral systems "are plagued with errors and inefficiencies that waste taxpayer dollars, undermine voter confidence, and fuel partisan disputes over the integrity of our elections," the report said.
Largely paper-based voter registration "has not kept pace with advancing technology and a mobile society."
The report comes as states across the country tighten voter identification requirements.
Voter ID laws were passed in eight states last year, and the Virginia legislature is debating bills to stiffen ID requirements. The Justice Department blocked South Carolina's ID law in December, arguing it discriminated against minority voters.
The Pew report did not identify voter fraud as a problem, saying the inefficiencies could lead to the perception that the elections "lack integrity or could be susceptible to fraud."
One reason for voter registration trouble is that Americans frequently change voting districts, the report said.
About one in eight Americans moved during the 2008 and 2010 election years. Up to 25 percent of young Americans move each year, it said.
A study Pew conducted with Oregon showed taxpayers spent US$4.11 per active voter in 2008 to process registrations and keep up a voter list.
Canada spends less than 35 US cents to process registrations and 93 percent of its population is registered. It uses modern technology and data-matching methods common in the private sector, the report said.
The result of an outdated and inefficient registration system is that one in eight US voter registrations, a total of 24 million, is invalid or inaccurate, according to the non-partisan think tank's research.
US electoral systems "are plagued with errors and inefficiencies that waste taxpayer dollars, undermine voter confidence, and fuel partisan disputes over the integrity of our elections," the report said.
Largely paper-based voter registration "has not kept pace with advancing technology and a mobile society."
The report comes as states across the country tighten voter identification requirements.
Voter ID laws were passed in eight states last year, and the Virginia legislature is debating bills to stiffen ID requirements. The Justice Department blocked South Carolina's ID law in December, arguing it discriminated against minority voters.
The Pew report did not identify voter fraud as a problem, saying the inefficiencies could lead to the perception that the elections "lack integrity or could be susceptible to fraud."
One reason for voter registration trouble is that Americans frequently change voting districts, the report said.
About one in eight Americans moved during the 2008 and 2010 election years. Up to 25 percent of young Americans move each year, it said.
A study Pew conducted with Oregon showed taxpayers spent US$4.11 per active voter in 2008 to process registrations and keep up a voter list.
Canada spends less than 35 US cents to process registrations and 93 percent of its population is registered. It uses modern technology and data-matching methods common in the private sector, the report said.
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