# What was the net effect on this election of voter-ID laws, "True the Vote" pollwatchers, etc.? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 12, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-net-effect-on-this-election-of-voter-id-laws-true-the-vote-pollwatchers-etc/640797 "2012-11-12T17:23:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-net-effect-on-this-election-of-voter-id-laws-true-the-vote-pollwatchers-etc/640797/1 "2012-11-12T17:23:07Z")
I have not seen any stats yet. Has anyone compiled any? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-net-effect-on-this-election-of-voter-id-laws-true-the-vote-pollwatchers-etc/640797/2 "2012-11-13T00:13:54Z")
Nobody knows? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-net-effect-on-this-election-of-voter-id-laws-true-the-vote-pollwatchers-etc/640797/3 "2012-11-13T01:09:53Z")
Nobody is likely to, where are we going to get objective facts? Nate Silver predicted one or two percent suppression for this last election. Which means that if everybody who wanted to vote had voted, Obama would have won by more votes. Probably only the popular vote total would change, he pretty much got every state he had a chance in. There’s two prongs to this. The true believer, who knows for a fact that America is a center-right country and the vast majority of Americans are conservative. But if he has two neurons to rub together, he has to wonder why they _ever_ lose. Gotta be voter fraud. What else is there? The cynic knows that isn’t so, but doesn’t care, its opportunity. Minds vast, cool and unsympathetic drew these plans, but I’m thinking their original plan was modest in scope, trim off a little, maybe Mr Silvers one or two percent, just enough to take the close ones. Trouble is, they went national with it, by way of ALEC. Then a whole bunch of guys saw an opportunity to make their name, establish themselves. And how could it lose, its about voting integrity? Everybody is in favor of voter integrity. Goddess willing, we won’t have to do this any more, we can trade early voting for voter id, and a program to make it easily available. I’d buy that, got nothing against ID as such. Gives me a shiver in my Orwellophobia, but I can deal. So, I’guessing no, we won’t ever know. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-net-effect-on-this-election-of-voter-id-laws-true-the-vote-pollwatchers-etc/640797/4 "2012-11-13T14:33:55Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Nobody is likely to, where are we going to get objective facts? Nate Silver predicted one or two percent suppression for this last election. Which means that if everybody who wanted to vote had voted, Obama would have won by more votes. Probably only the popular vote total would change, he pretty much got every state he had a chance in. Hmmm . . . Then, if one makes the uncharitable and cynical assumption that the primary motive behind this whole business was to affect the outcome of elections . . . then, the parties so motivated still have know way of knowing whether that tactic works to any degree, or whether it is all a complete waste of their time, money and effort. OTOH, if one assumes the primary motive really was a sincere, nonpartisan, civic-minded desire to make sure that only lawfully eligible voters should cast their ballots . . . they still don’t know whether it does **that,** either. I wonder if they’ll try it again in 2014? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-net-effect-on-this-election-of-voter-id-laws-true-the-vote-pollwatchers-etc/640797/5 "2012-11-13T15:15:54Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Hmmm . . . Then, if one makes the uncharitable and cynical assumption that the primary motive behind this whole business was to affect the outcome of elections . . . then, the parties so motivated still have know way of knowing whether that tactic works to any degree, or whether it is all a complete waste of their time, money and effort. > > OTOH, if one assumes the primary motive really was a sincere, nonpartisan, civic-minded desire to make sure that only lawfully eligible voters should cast their ballots . . . they still don’t know whether it does **that,** either. > > I wonder if they’ll try it again in 2014? I’m actually hoping that some of them will try to “prove” (mainly falsely) that their motives WEREN’T about the recent elections, by continuing to push these laws through the legislatures and courts over the next year or two. That would give the rest of us more time to make sure everyone is able to comply, in plenty of time for 2016 (if not 2014). Not that the jerks won’t come up with some OTHER crap a few months before Nov. 2012. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-net-effect-on-this-election-of-voter-id-laws-true-the-vote-pollwatchers-etc/640797/6 "2012-11-13T16:06:40Z")
Well, there was [this](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/06/true-the-vote-ohio_n_2082362.html) effect. > [@](#): > > The right-wing group True The Vote has been prohibited from monitoring elections in voting stations around Columbus, Ohio, and may soon find itself under investigation for fraud, the Columbus Dispatch reported Tuesday. > > The Houston-based group, which is dedicated to challenging the legitimacy of voters it considers suspect, had its status as an official vote monitor denied in Franklin County, after the necessary number of candidates to assign poll observers withdrew their support for the group , according to the Dispatch. > > Elections officials in Franklin County told the paper that some of application forms requesting observer status for the group’s Ohio branch, the Voter Integrity Project, appeared to have supporting names that were falsified or forged . They were so concerned that people might forge signatures and make up registrations to vote fraudulently that they… forged signatures and made up names in order to be allowed to monitor them. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-net-effect-on-this-election-of-voter-id-laws-true-the-vote-pollwatchers-etc/640797/7 "2012-11-13T16:12:20Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > Well, there was [this](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/06/true-the-vote-ohio_n_2082362.html) effect.They were so concerned that people might forge signatures and make up registrations to vote fraudulently that they… forged signatures and made up names in order to be allowed to monitor them. That’s some kind of ironical paradox or Zen koan, that is . . . nah, it’s just dishonest dumbassery.