Voter Records that Are Bad

Pete Olson, a Republican candidate for Congress in the Houston area, is being forced to play defense late in the campaign due to apparently phony allegations that he voted in two states in 2003. Mr. Olson says that he has no explanation for the seeming discrepancy.

I have some personal history that might help. If I were to ever run for office, someone might -- falsely -- accuse me of the same thing.

I first registered to vote at age 18 in Kentucky, moved to Memphis, Tennessee and registered to vote there in 1985, and subsequently returned back to the area of Kentucky where I had previously lived in 1991. When I went to the clerk's office to register again in Kentucky, they told me that I was already registered, and they further showed me that I had voted in the 1988 election.

I voted in that election in Tennessee. However, I did not vote in Kentucky.

In my instance, I suspect I know the explanation. When I registered in Tennessee, my Kentucky voter registration was never removed. My father has the same name as I do, except I am Jr. I suspect that when he voted, he accidentally signed the register beside my name.

However, if anyone wants to run television ads showing the documents and accusing The Oracle of voter fraud, I am sure that it would be a hassle to explain in a soundbite. Of course, its the need for dealing with nonsense like this that prevents a lot of people from having an interest in running, including me.