Will new voters tip the scale toward Kerry?

Freelance poltical writer Vincent Fiore thinks the Democrats are more likely in 2004 to lie, cheat and steal to get their man elected.

...in regards to the rule of law which we all live under--in this case voter registration law--vestiges of the Democratic devotee and the party machinery itself seem more than willing to flout these laws nationwide, and brazenly so.

Fiore points out possible voter fraud, intimidation and general liberal hijinks around the nation. One example involves Palm Beach County, Florida's Theresa LePore, who caved in and accepted late voter registration applications from the activist Muslim group Voting is Power (From my own experience as a poll worker, I know that election officials are loath to deprive voters of their constitutional right and will err on their behalf when possible).

Some conservatives are concerned that the record number of newly registered voters will favor the Dems. I'm not so sure -- for a number of reasons.

1. There are reports that many voter registration applications filled out by those Kerry-loving 527's were not filled out correctly, AND

2. If incomplete registration applications were turned in close to the deadline, there would not have been enough time for election officials to notify these applicants and receive their corrected applications.

3. Not every new voter is enthralled with Kerry. Much to my surprise, Ann Arbor's own liberal bastion, The University of Michigan, has a few conservative writers on its student newspaper this year.

4. First-time voters are more likely to spoil their ballots, not realize that it IS a spoiled ballot and that they should request another.

5. First-time voters are less knowledgeable about voting procedures in general and, perhaps out of embarrassment, less likely to ask for help, thus hurting their chances for casting a successful ballot.

6. Those who have never voted before are more likely to leave a polling place if there's a long line.

7. In general, first-time voters are more apathetic and will look for any excuse to renege on their constitutional duty (e.g., "the dog ate my map", "I overslept", "I was sick/hungover", "I had to work").

While there is much to worry about, there are also many hurdles that need to be overcome by a first-time voter. If the 2000 election is any indicator (butterfly ballot), potential Kerry voters will have a tough time getting into that voting booth and making their vote count.