Democrat state senate candidate Donovan Riley has been accused of voting twice in the 2000 elections and Owen Robinson points out that it is almost impossible to prove that he did it - as opposed to being the victim of a clerical error. Maybe, but Riley's response - "it's possible I made a mistake" - is tantamount to an admission. Just how would you make a "mistake" that involved voting twice in the same election? I'm assuming that he used at least one absentee ballot. Did he forget about it when he sent the second one or showed up at the polls?
In my experience, people who do not want to admit to something are more likely to catch amnesia than to deny it. It's easier to convince yourself that you don't recall and it doesn't feel like lying. I can't say that this is the case here, but saying that you "might have done it" but don't recall is only a little better than saying you did it.
As for the alleged crime, what a stupid thing to do. It's not as if a single person voting twice will change the results of an election (although it might if lots of people did). It is really more an act of arrogance and self centeredness. I want to vote in both of the places that I live and, even though its illegal, I'm going to do it.
Uhnnhhh...
ReplyDeleteI'm SURE that he voted the national ticket only once...and each local ticket only once.
Right?
Prosecution for double vgoter registration is unheard of because it's so common. If Riley voted last in IL, it would be hard to prove that he intended to do so when he voted in Wisconsin. If the offense was comitted in IL, Wisconsin has no jurisdiction. The prosecution does not actually have to prove diectly that a ballot was actually cast. It is dangerous to say "I didn't do it, prove it" because that opens one to a charge of obstruction. By the way, voting twice in a FEDERAL ELECTION is a federal crime.
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