The gifts delivered to a government of people in a republic are countless. The most valuable is the right to vote.

In fact, it is so valuable that every legitimate citizen can only have one. Think about it. As a citizen of a community in our country, we get one and only one vote. We have the right to vote once on separate issues and while we may vote more than once for the same person, it’s not in the same election (at least if it’s done legally). Think about it again — once we pull the lever (so to speak) our vote is cast and it’s gone. 

We get one chance and no more in any one election to vote our choice. That makes our vote pretty valuable and something to be guarded selfishly.

Voting fraud is tantamount to theft.  If someone steals an item from an innocent and unsuspecting victim, it hurts that individual, financially and personally, and in every possible way, it is just wrong. 

A fraudulent voter steals the value of every other vote that is legally cast in that same election. Theft tolerance is relatively low when it comes to items of value. Why, then, is there any tolerance for the theft of something as valuable as an individual’s vote?

The argument goes on to say there should be voter ID or not. When checking into a reputable hotel, individuals are required to show some sort of picture ID. It is puzzling to understand that an activity as benign as checking into a hotel in the U.S. is more restrictive than the process put in place to legitimize our votes. Arguments in favor of eliminating voter ID say that the identification process is complex and suppresses legitimate voters preventing them from voting. 

Individuals who use that argument should also recognize that fraudulent votes act to suppress every legitimate vote made inasmuch as each one allowed in an election cancels one vote made legitimately in that same election. 

Voter fraud is illegal and, like any other U.S. law, ignoring it should not be tolerated. Getting the proper ID is not a complex task for any legitimate voter, and having it to show to officers in charge of elections is equally simple.

U.S. citizens who have the right to vote should not be so easily swayed as to give away the value of their vote by accepting even “some” level of fraud. 

Perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate what it means to all of us every time an illegitimate voter walks into a voting booth in our respective area.

And by the way, it really doesn’t matter an individual’s political persuasion. Theft is theft, and it hurts!

PETER KAPUSCINSKI has lived in Buckingham for the past 10 years. He’s a retired business executive in the chemical industry. His email address is petekap@centurylink.net.