Don't dilute voting process in the U.S.

There is a massive struggle under way in this nation pitting Democrats and Republicans over the issue of voting rights. If you just sit back and examine the issue, the reasons are obvious. Democrats cater to infrequent voters and those often outside of the political process. Republicans, on the other hand, rely on traditional voters and those most often actively involved in the political process.

So Democrats want to expand the voting process to make it easier for their constituents. That includes mail-in ballots and a wide array of early voting proposals. Republicans meanwhile want to retain the traditional voting process on election day.

Ohio next week will vote on a sweeping voting reform package offered by Democrat-leaning groups. Among the proposals is a process that would allow early voting by mail. We can only hope the issue is defeated.

In St. Louis today, there's a report about some highly questionable voting trends involving paid staffers who travel to nursing homes to "get out the vote." This initiative by the Democratic majority in St. Louis has been questioned in the past. Several instances have been reported where nursing home patients with dementia have nonetheless voted. Voting in this case is conducted in a private room with no one present other than the patient and the hired Democratic staffer. You can only imagine the results of that voting.

I've said it on countless occasions: Informed voters willing to exercise their patriotic duty by casting their ballots on election day form the bedrock of our republic. The potential for voting fraud and abuse explodes when you allow a haphazard process of early voting and mail-in or even phone-in ballots.

We all favor a process that allows each and every eligible voter to participate. On that point there is absolutely no disagreement despite what Jesse Jackson and others will tell you. But when we dilute the process to make it "easier" on voters, we open the door to fraud.

If you think the fiasco of voting in St. Louis is a sham, wait until someone proposes national mail-in ballots. The outcome will be decided by those who are the most creative and who know how to manipulate the voting process.