How Prevalent is Voter Fraud?

As a part of discussion today the prevalence of voter fraud came up. We had some numbers that were only counting certain type of fraud such as that of felons, to others that had numbers of 180,000+ accounts of fraud in just one state. If every vote counts that means every vote that is fraudulent can also swing an election. Here are the facts I found about voter fraud:

• To date, 46 states have been prosecuted or convicted of voter fraud.
• More than 24 MILLION registration are invalid, yet remain on the count nation-wide.
• Affiliates of True The Vote voters who were registered after their deaths.
• More than 384,00 dead people have been found on voter registration rolls in 27 states.
• The Ohio Secretary of State admitted that multiple Ohio counties have more registered voters than residents. 

This is only some of the facts that I found after a very brief search on the internet. Voting is your right as American citizen. Seeing that right being taken advantage of by others is illegal and is a problem large enough to be addressed. Based off of these facts, I do think some system of voter identification needs to be put into place. 

The my sources are listed below:

http://marylandreporter.com/2012/09/30/dead-people-voted-and-registered-to-vote-watchdog-group-finds-hundreds-of-deceased-still-on-the-rolls/

Kazanjian, Glynis O. "MarylandReporter.com." Dead People Voted and Registered to Vote, Watchdog Group Finds; Hundreds of Deceased Still on Rolls –. Maryland Reporter, 30 Sept. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.

http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_report_detail.aspx?id=85899370677

"Inaccurate, Costly, and Inefficient: Evidence That America's Voter Registration System Needs an Upgrade - The Pew Charitable Trusts." Pew Charitable Trusts. Ed. Rebecca W. Rimel. The Pew, 14 Feb. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.

http://www.truethevote.org/news/how-widespread-is-voter-fraud-2012-facts-figures

A School Where Students Teach Themselves.

My personal opinion on our topic Wednesday was that I don't think that this would work if it was the main style of education. This could work in small groups, with self motivated people who have already done years of traditional schooling. If I were in such a program my effort would be enough to pass. I wouldn't be fit for such a program because I have been formed by a school system where grades are more valued than learning. Not only that but I am motivated because I have to get a certain grade, not necessarily to learn the content that is being taught. I feel there are many students like me, but for the few that are motivated and mature enough to handle it, I think it would be great. It would just be difficult deciding who is fit for a program like this. 

Harrison Bergeron

I found this shorty story incredibly interesting. It made me think about how no two people are inherently equal to one another. This makes the world interesting. No one wants to watch a sporting event where the two teams are perfectly equal. No one would want to watch a movie when the actors are just as good as the average Joe sitting on the couch. Just like in the story competition would not exist. If competition didn't exist it would be difficult to have a drive(You wouldn't be able to have that "drive" in the first place) to do better, because there would be no such thing as better. I am still having trouble truly picturing the world Harrison Bergeron was in. As it sounds it is not a world I would like to live in, and to be honest I can't think of a single person who would want to. No matter the person, they all will have at least one thing about them that is above average. One thing that makes them unique, one thing that makes them special. I can't fathom someone wanting to give that up.