Sound Politics: Voters disenfranchised, subject to identity theft, through Democrat negligence

July 20, 2006

Voters disenfranchised, subject to identity theft, through Democrat negligence

Today's Spokesman-Review reports "Voter registration forms stolen" [paid subscription only]. The registration forms were stolen out of a car after having been collected in Spokane during a registration drive by the Washington State Democratic Coordinated Campaign.

An estimated 100 people who filled out voter registration forms recently will need to re-register and should monitor their accounts and credit reports, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

The completed forms - which include name, address, date of birth and a driver's license number - were stolen before they could be turned in to the Spokane County elections office.

A registered voter's name, address and D.O.B are public record, but driver's license numbers are not. A complete registration form would also contain the voter's signature, which is also exempt from disclosure. Some voters optionally enter their telephone number, which is exempt from disclosure, and those with a driver's license might enter the last 4 digits of their social security number, which is also exempt.

Partisan and other activist groups engaged in voter registration drives must be able to hand out blank registration forms, but it should not be legal for them to collect completed registration forms. Only the voter should be allowed to handle and return their own completed registration form.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at July 20, 2006 12:20 PM | Email This

Comments

1. Anyone who is dumb enough to give personal information to an activist is dumb enough to get his/her bank accounts cleaned out.

Obviously, the bigger issue, basically having 100 extra fraudulent registrations is the bigger issue.

I think that the person who lost them/let them be stolen should face climinal charges of some type.

Posted by: Easycure on July 20, 2006 12:32 PM

2. As a Spokane resident, I was tempted to forward Stephen's cogent observations to the Spokesman-Review, but I learned long ago not to waste the time. That newspaper only prints left-wing letters to the editor or puffs from obvious DNC shills.

Posted by: Rey Smith on July 20, 2006 01:11 PM

3. Very scary, but since the Queen is in charge, nothing will be done. I agree that individuals should take it upon themselves to return the completed registration form.

Posted by: Burdabee on July 20, 2006 03:11 PM

4. No subscription needed for KREM TV article.

Posted by: Lynne on July 20, 2006 03:56 PM

5. THE DEMOCRAT WHO WAS CARRYING THE REGISTRATION FORMS WAS DRIVING AN SUV!
Isn't it a sin to drive an SUV (in the mind of libs)?? What's up with the double standards when it comes to these people? They complain about America's addiction to gasoline and then drive SUVs? How come she wasn't driving a nice, more fuel-efficient Honda Accord like I do?

Posted by: Misty on July 20, 2006 04:28 PM

6. Ummm... Both sides register voters. Hell lots of groups both partisan and not do it. This hardly is an example of fraud corruption, or anything other then the actions of a car thief who should be prosecuted.

Posted by: Giffy on July 20, 2006 05:23 PM

7. Figures that it was done in Spokane. Seattle is all taken care of in the frudulent vote department--time to branch out. Anybody seen Dean Logan lately?

Posted by: Organization Man on July 20, 2006 05:50 PM

8. Giffy, sure, lots of groups register voters. As long as they're valid voters I doubt anyone on this site has a problem with that.

What is so funny is that some liberal, a member of the party that loves to lecture us about global warming, hybrid vehicles, demands we get out of our cars and use public transportation, has the voter registration forms stolen from a gas guzzling SUV.

This is the same party that doesn't want the government to listen to terrorists in the US taking orders from their handlers overseas, but violates the privacy of about one hundred US citizens and puts them at risk of identity theft.

This is the same party that condemns the Bush administration of incompetence in it's handling of the biggest natural disaster in our history, but who's members are so incompetent themselves that they can't even safeguard a few pieces of paper.

I'm sorry for the people that had their personal information stolen, but we are getting a good laugh at the hypocrisy and total incompetence of the Democratic Party.

Posted by: Obi-Wan on July 20, 2006 11:24 PM

9. A later edition (today, I believe) of the Spokesman-Review reported that the forms were found in bushes near downtown and were recovered. I believe they were uncertain if all were recovered but they believed that all were likely recovered.

Posted by: Ed on July 21, 2006 10:32 PM

10. Tried to post this yesterday, but comments were off.

The forms have been found where the thieves discarded them.

http://www.khqrightnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=5171628

In other East Side news, recalled former Spokane Mayor Jim West is dead.

http://www.krem.com/topstories/stories/krem2_072106_westobit.f03dc65.html

Posted by: ScottM on July 22, 2006 09:30 AM

11. Why are we blaming the democrats or republicans, this is not a political arena it is as real an epidemic as bird flu and we'd better start getting smart about protecting ourselves instead of blaming others and say 'Oh my' when it happens to me. The government can't do everything for us, somethings we have to do ourselves. this instance is a drop in the bucket compared to the hundreds of thousands of other breaches that have already happened. Your information is out there, get protection or deal with the consequences when it happens to you. www.idtheftprotection.biz best in the world.

Posted by: rtulley on July 22, 2006 12:54 PM