Personal integrity needed to prevent voting fraud cases With the presidential election in flux as a recount drags on in Florida, reports are surfacing of voter fraud in various parts of the nation. Earlier this week, reports of multiple voting by students surfaced in Milwaukee. One of those students later retracted an earlier comment that he had voted twice in the Nov. 7 election. What's the possibility of someone voting twice here, or elsewhere? Simply put, it's possible if someone wants to buck the system, particularly in this era of constantly changing addresses. The city of Stevens Point has detected a double vote once since it computerized the voter registration system several years ago. In that instance, a voter cast a ballot in the ward of a former residence, then accompanied a spouse to vote in the new ward. Records of voters are kept for two years, and a record is expunged if the voter doesn't vote within that period. Voters aren't required to notify municipalities that they have moved, so the registration remains on record. Thus, someone who lived in Stevens Point, moved to the town of Hull and then the village of Plover within a two-year period could conceivably vote in all three municipalities. Or someone could vote by absentee ballot in one state and register to vote in a second state with a temporary address. Combating the double vote would involve a tremendous operation and probably another layer of bureaucracy. A vote is a precious right of citizens. We have to rely on the integrity of the individual to ensure that the one-person, one-vote principal remains. Detection of a violation isn't easy. -Gene Kemmeter