One of the bills introduced for our Legislators to ponder is one that would allow same day registration and voting. I have a few minor problems with that concept.
Last year I challenged people to study the issues and candidates. If you are interested in voting you will at least have minimal knowledge before arriving at the polling place. You also will have no problem meeting the deadline to register to vote. Assembly Bill 108 would invite individuals with special interests to pursue those not interested or unwilling in an attempt to control votes.
You might ask how could they do that?
For some, the offer of a meal, small cash stipend, or some other gratuity could cause a person to register and vote the will of the person or group offering the gift. Give a person something free and a marked sample ballot and you have the recipe for subverting an honest and fair election.
It would be great if everyone chose to take part in their government but they do not. If a person chooses to not do so they should not be pursued by those that would impose their will on them at any cost. Your right to cast a ballot is yours and yours alone. No one has the right to buy or control your vote or position themselves to do so. Even registering and voting in the office of the various county clerks will not solve the ability of special interest groups to influence the vote. A person can bring as many potential voters as they can round-up and it appears the clerk will have to take their requests at face value.
Having been a county sheriff and watching the county clerk manage several elections I know that there is not spare time to register voters and allow them to vote on election day. I see this as creating a management problem and requiring additional employees in the office. I'm not sure, but I would bet that every county clerk is apprehensive about this proposal, it's implementation and cost. Can you imagine the chaos if a "community organizer" shows up at 6:55 p.m. on election day in the office of the county clerk with several individuals in various stages of intoxication wanting to exercise their right to register and vote?
I guess I fail to see that the positives outweigh the negatives. I have developed a pessimistic attitude because I can clearly envision this being subverted by someone or group. I too would like to cast my vote several times but that isn't the "law of the land." One southern legislator suggested during the initial hearing that he "didn't care if they gave them an oven mitt as long as they voted."
If the Legislature feels compelled to do this, they must protect the sanctity of the election process. In Chicago it might be acceptable to vote early and often but I hope Nevada is a cut above that. Proof of citizenship, residence, and valid photo-identification is out of the question I presume.
• Jim Bagwell of Carson City is a Vietnam veteran and graduate of the FBI National Academy who worked 31 years in law enforcement. He and his wife Lori own Charley's Grilled Subs.
