Attorney General Mukasey: “One of my highest priorities ... November elections are fair and smoothly run"

By GottaLaff

And I'm the Easter Bunny:

At a gathering of over 300 United States prosecutors and F.B.I. agents, Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey said that “one of my highest priorities” would be to ensure that the November elections are fair and smoothly run.

His entire speech here. Some excerpts:

Whatever the exact numbers, even the prospect of vote fraud may undermine the integrity of the voting process. In a democratic society, even the perception of corruption or fraud has a damaging effect because it corrodes people’s faith in the democratic system.

Gee, ya think?

• Scoop: Diebold Memos Disclose Florida 2000 E-Voting Fraud
• 2000 Presidential Election Fraud Index Page
• Was the 2004 Election Stolen? : Rolling Stone
• The 2004 US Elections: The Mother of all Vote Frauds
• Clear Evidence 2006 Congressional Elections Hacked

He goes on:

In recent years, some have tried to suggest that these goals — protecting voting rights and protecting the integrity of elections — are somehow at odds. But they are really two sides of the same coin. [...]

Take voter identification laws, for example. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court adopted the Department’s view that voter ID laws are not facially unconstitutional. [...] At the same time, the Court acknowledged the undeniable fact that voter ID laws can burden some citizens’ right to vote. It is important for states to implement and administer such laws in a way that minimizes that possibility. And it is important for the Department to do its part to guard against that possibility. We will not hesitate to use the tools available to us — including the Voting Rights Act — if these laws, important though they may be, are used improperly to deny the right to vote.

New drinking game: Every time the DoJ prevents the Voter ID law from denying someone's right to vote, we throw one back. I'm willing to bet that none of us will get so much as a mild buzz.