Clearing up election integrity issues

Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to Paul Hammel’s opinion article last week.  For those who know me, election integrity has become a passionate issue, and several of his claims need to be addressed.

Paul claims:

·         “Election fraud is not a problem.” Citizens have little access to verify this. We can only view limited voter roll information and machine tally summaries, yet no proof is offered to support his claim. We are always told to “trust the government”.  The systems used in Nebraska do not allow election officials to investigate and fully test the systems. SoS Evnen even tells us that the machines are not tested, they send a sample piece of equipment to the labs.

·         “The power of elections is granted to the states.” In practice, the Secretary of State and legislature surrender portions of that authority through federal programs like HAVA (Help America Vote Act), agreeing to follow federal rules in exchange for funding. Nebraska’s constitution also states that elections “shall be a county expense,” yet the legislature funds the electronic systems currently used, ignoring our state constitution.

·         “Almost no noncitizens are voting.” No one is thoroughly reviewing voter rolls to verify who is listed. This used to be done by citizens going door-to-door to confirm eligible voters. Nebraska’s rolls contain many outdated entries, including people who moved away decades ago. The research center he cited has as much evidence to validate their claim as the citizens do, basically nothing.

·         “Dozens of lawsuits failed due to lack of evidence.” Many were dismissed based on judges’ opinions of “lack of standing,” meaning evidence was never presented.

·         “Election fraud is ‘fake news.’” Private corporations run our election infrastructure. Citizens and many officials cannot examine the systems because companies like ES&S claim their technology is proprietary. How can you find evidence if you aren’t allowed to look?

Paul also argues it is burdensome for people to obtain documents like birth certificates or passports. Yet those same documents are required to obtain a driver’s license, open a bank account, buy alcohol, get a job, purchase airline tickets, apply for benefits, or buy a home.

Voting is the foundation of our republic, yet Americans increasingly treat it carelessly. Apathy and convenience will undermine this great experiment if we do not address these issues. The only way to restore trust is to return election administration to the county level, with citizens from all perspectives working together publicly to run and count our elections.

Respectfully,

Melissa Sauder