What Does Election Reform Mean?

A major goal of Democrats nationwide is to expand early voting even beyond the more than 40-plus million votes that were cast on days other than Election Day last year or by mail. The Democrats know that their massive use of early voting was a major factor that enabled them to pile up the winning votes to reelect Barack Obama. Early voting is a priority with Obama. He urged 10,000 fans after his campaign speech in Urbandale, Iowa to vote right now "starting Sept. 27 ... you don't have to wait until Nov. 6 to vote."

On the first day of the new Congress, the House Democrats showed what they think is really important by pushing to pass a new federal law that would require 10 hours a day of early voting on 15 days before any federal election. The bill also would have invented a new voting "right" that no one has to stand in line more than one hour. Fortunately, this bill did not pass.

Early voting is a very bad idea and it certainly is not "election reform." Early voting bypasses many safeguards for voting integrity such as having Poll Watchers from both political parties to monitor everything going on in the polling-place to deter any monkey business. It's expensive and nearly impossible to secure Poll Watchers, for the 35 days of early voting that were allowed in Ohio and other swing states.

Early voting adds heavy costs to the taxpayers and to the candidates because it significantly lengthens the campaign. Early voting deprives our nation of the unifying value of one Nation on Election Day. The goal of voting reform should be honest elections, not convenience, plus maintenance of safeguards against voter fraud and coercion of voters.

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