Voting in Fairfax County. (Photo credit: Fairfax Times)
The Democratic Party has engaged in a lot of loose talk about “voter suppression,” especially in regard to voter I.D. requirements. But you hear precious little about the opposite problem — local officials turning a blind eye to people voting illegally.
According to Watchdog.org, the Fairfax County electoral board has turned over more than 200 cases of potential voter fraud to Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Raymond Morrogh for investigation. The names appeared on voter rolls even though individuals had excused themselves from jury duty on the grounds that they were not citizens. Of those, 117 had a history of voting in Virginia.
Morrough, a Democrat, has declined to prosecute — or even to respond to the electoral board. Said Brian Schoeneman, secretary of the Electoral Board and a Republican: “People say there’s no voter fraud because there are no convictions. One of the most frustrating things is to have evidence that, on its face, justifies further investigation … and then to see zero action.”
Selective justice like this is part of a national pattern, Catherine Engelbrecht, president of Texas-based True the Vote, told Watchdog.org. As it happens, she knows something about selective justice. Her organization was one of the conservative groups singled out for special attention by the Internal Revenue Service.
Does anyone feel as if the fundamental structures of democratic governance are corroding? (Hat tip: Tim Wise.)
— JAB
