I can't help but channel Kevin Bacon from Animal House while reading the news that 1.8 million dead people are registered to vote.

Remember: We don't need Voter ID laws because our system is sound as...well, a dollar.

Politico:

The United States' voter registration system is in chaos -- about 24 million registrations are no longer valid and nearly 2 million dead people are still on voter rolls, according to a new report Tuesday.

Along with the one of every eight voter registrations that is not valid or has significant inaccuracies, there are 2.75 million people currently registered to vote in more than one state, the Pew Center on the States study found. And the millions of problematic registrations aren't the only issue -- researchers estimate at least 51 million eligible U.S. citizens aren't registered to vote. That's nearly one in four, or 24 percent of the eligible population.

Additionally, about 12 million records have incorrect addresses, meaning it's unlikely any mailings can reach these voters, the research in the report shows.

Still, David Becker, director of Pew's Election Initiatives, said that the center's findings did not suggest any kind of voter fraud or voter suppression from these problems, but noted they do "underscore the need for an improved system."

There also are more than 1.8 million deceased people who still have active registration on voter rolls, Pew found. And, Becker said, the outdated, inefficient systems currently in place are "not designed to keep up with deaths as they occur."

Pew is right. The findings don't "suggest" voter fraud. They only "suggest" it is extremely likely. The childlike faith in the honesty and integrity of both political parties is charming - if not misplaced.

Those numbers represent a direct threat to democracy. The rolls should be purged immediately. If not, and there is another close election, it will probably come down to which side can steal the most votes.