Whatever It Takes to Win an Election

Democratic pols unanimously swear that there is no such thing as voter fraud. Republican pols swear that voter fraud is an integral part of the Democrats’ victory plan. How can they both be right? Here’s how: I have no problem agreeing that there is no coordinated top-down scheme to steal votes for Democrats. Indeed my thesis is that that’s not how it works. The Democrats are not in the tight knit conspiracy business. They’re in the loose knit “Whatever It Takes” business. None of the bad actors know each other. All of the bad actors know that their bad actions are appreciated, and maybe even rewarded at election and appointment times.

Indeed, the only places on the planet one can vote without showing a photo I.D. are in those states where Democrats block voter security legislation. There is only one reason to oppose photo I.D.s — a desire to cheat. No more. No less. Until the Democrats join with the rest of the country in support of photo I.D. laws they will continue to earn the skepticism of the whole country.

Let’s run through an apparent hodgepodge of voting anomalies and see if they fit the “Whatever It Takes” paradigm:

— There is a common belief that an illegal immigrant in California can purchase a three-pack of identification in California for approximately $300. What’s in the three-pack? A driver’s license, a social security card and a voter registration card. Whatever It Takes.

— In 2007 we in Palm Beach County matched lists of voters in New York and Palm Beach County by First Name, Last Name, and Date of Birth. (Thank you, Bill Skinner). The Florida Department of Law Enforcement found twenty people deserving of indictment for voting in two elections on the same date, (presumably at least once by Absentee Ballot). The State Attorney, Democrat Barry Krischer, refused to indict on the grounds that as a non-presidential election (2006) these double voters could not have voted for the same person twice, (but could have voted for two Congressmen). Bill Skinner’s comprehensive book: “South Florida Election Law Handbook,” available at Amazon.com, provides great detail. Whatever It Takes.

— During the 2016 Presidential campaign we learned from WikiLeaks that Hillary staffers “helped” pollsters construct their models in such a way as to show an insurmountable Hilary lead. The objective here was to demoralize and suppress the Republican vote. Whatever It Takes.

In South Florida we found a myriad of unusual vote counting activities in the two “laughingstock” counties, Broward and Palm Beach. These included the following:

— The number of registered voters in Broward exceeds the number of adults of voting age. Whatever It Takes.

— In 2012, in violation of State law, the Palm Beach and Broward Supervisors of Elections kept the Early Voting polls open to give Black voters another “Souls to the Polls” opportunity to vote. Background information available here. Whatever It Takes.

— Broward Supervisor Brenda Snipes found 80,000 ballots after the counting was closed and reported. Whatever It Takes.

— Broward Supervisor Brenda Snipes claimed that all criticism directed at her was driven by “racism.” Whatever It Takes.

— Broward Supervisor Brenda Snipes intentionally “mixed” no match signature ballots with regular ballots to get those “no match” ballots counted. Whatever It Takes.

— Broward Supervisor Brenda Snipes “missed” the recount deadline by two minutes thereby depriving candidate Rick Scott of 779 votes. Whatever It Takes.

— Palm Beach County Supervisor Susan Bucher gave disputed votes to her staff for “intent” determination rather than to the Canvassing Board, as the law requires. For a broader list of voting irregularities in Palm Beach County go here. Whatever It Takes.

— Palm Beach County Supervisor Susan Bucher had her staff copy damaged ballots rather than giving them to the Canvassing Board, as the law requires. Whatever It Takes.

Don’t Republicans cheat? Probably. But the aggregate of Republican cheating would look like a speeding infraction compared to the Democrats’ vehicular homicide calamity. The sacred trust of voting should not be just another political cat and mouse “gotcha” game.

Sid Dinerstein is a former chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party. He founded JBS Associates, a 600-person financial service company, and currently combines politics and business with Niger Innis in Inclusive Elections LLC, a firm that brings urban electorate voters to the GOP. He is the author of "Adults Only: For Those Who Love Their Country More Than Their Party." For more of his reports, Go Here Now.