Cool your socks, one and all. The question of **fradulent **voter registration is one that can be pursued with your local registrars and through established challenge systems. It is not fraud until Mickey Mouse or the entire Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders squad vote in an election in which they are not qualified to vote. Voter registration is still a state responsibility, not Federal. To flex your muscles of concern, go to your local registrar’s office and help them in any way you can to determine if ACORN registrations were later used in a fraudulent manner.
Failing that, what’s wrong with voter registration? How many of you stood outside your parish center or church, discretely on the sidewalk, and offered to register qualified potential Catholic voters for the fall elections? If you didn’t, perhaps you should next time around. Off-year elections are coming up. This makes an excellent Young Adult project. In my state it takes a half a day of training and a stack of forms, and you’re off and rolling.
Bravo to the bishops for closing the barn door to money poorly spent, either before or after the horse escaped. Economic times are too perilous to waste our contributions, but we should now fill the gap to make sure that Catholic registrations are on the rise and that the poor and infirm are not neglected.
BTW, there were many many years that the cemeteries of Cook County, Illinois were casting votes for good Catholic candidates under the Daly machine. In 1960 the cemeteries of Cook County carried the election for Jack Kennedy. The throttle can and has worked both ways. Cardinal George is no doubt aware of this.