There are seven states that are considered 'swing' states. They are critical to the outcomes of national elections and one would think that the election security processes in these states would be top-notch.

Unfortunately, they are anything but.

The seven states include: Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.

According to the Heritage Foundation election integrity scorecards, Georgia -- probably because of the pressure brought to bear on it from the questionable 2020 election results -- is the only one that scored well at 83 out of 100. The average of the other six is 59 percent. The average ranking for these seven is 29 out of the 50 states.

If you add other possible swing states – New Hampshire, Maine, Colorado, Minnesota, and Virginia -- they average 54 percent. It is interesting to note that all the states ranked in the lowest election integrity rankings and performance are blue states.

The foundation bases its findings on 14 criteria, six of which address voter ID, accuracy of voter registration lists, absentee ballot management, harvesting restrictions, access of election observers, verification of citizenship, private funding for election board members, and election audits.

Requirement to present ID for voting: This criterion calls for a photo ID for both in-person and absentee ballots. The average score of the swing states is 10 out of a possible 20 points, which means the requirement does not apply in all cases and/or ID identification is suspect or lax.

Voter List Accuracy: This criterion shows how rigorously election boards and secretaries of state monitor voter registration rolls. The average score of swing states is 18 out of 28, but this average is suspect for the following reasons: In the 2020 election, there were 29 million illegitimate voter registrations, according to United Sovereign Americans, of which 10 million resulted in votes, throwing voting accuracy off by double digits. All of the swing states were involved in this voter list fraud.

Absentee Ballot Management: This measures how well the state distributes absentee ballots, number of ballots one person can witness, signed request for an absentee ballot, receipt of all ballots by election day, etc. The average of the swing states is 10.5 out of 21. This exposes overall poor chain of custody of absentee ballots.

Restricting Ballot Harvesting: This measures how well the state deals with the practice of gathering absentee ballots and delivering them to polling places. The swing state average was 19 out of 24 possible points. In addition, five of the swing states either require or allow drop-boxes, including Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Michigan. 

Ensuring Citizenship: This measures how important states consider citizenship in the voting process. The average of the swing states is less than 1 out of 4. Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania have no requirement to prove citizenship.

In 1924 and again in 1996 Congress passed legislation to ban non-citizens from voting in federal elections. The new SAVE Act, passed by the House confirms that. Nonetheless, these laws are being routinely violated, especially in key swing states.

Based on a court case, Arizona had to prove citizenship but the Ninth Circuit Appeals Court ruled that Arizona must accept registrants who cannot prove citizenship prior to voting in state elections. Nevada gives drivers licenses to undocumented migrants and North Carolina gives such licenses to select undocumented migrants. But North Carolina, despite giving out drivers licenses, claims that a box on the ballot asking whether or not the voter is a citizen is sufficient to determine citizenship.

In Arizona, Maricopa’s Recorder claims that requiring U.S. citizenship verification for voting in federal elections is unlawful. This is because the county is relying on illegal immigrants to vote in November. The number of voters in that county who haven’t provided proof of citizenship and cannot be confirmed as citizens has increased by over 32 percent since last October and county officials are fine with this. 

Similar situations exist in Michigan, Virginia, Vermont, among others. The Biden-Harris administration is encouraging illegal immigrants to register to vote and obtain drivers licenses in states where they can. This has prompted the Republican National Committee to file lawsuits to reverse this problem. 

Election Observer Access: This shows the degree of access election observers have to ballot observation. The swing states claimed they all give “full and complete” access to election observers, yet this was a major bone of contention in the 2020 elections, particularly in swing states Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia. 

Private Funding to Election Officials: This exposes whether or not states allow private funding of their election officials. Three of the swing states allow this practice, including North Carolina, Nevada, and Michigan.

Given the importance of the swing states' ballot counting, the mechanisms in place for ensuring accurate counts and preventing voter anomalies are suspect at best in these states. Despite volumes of sworn affidavits, video accounts, machine anomalies, the massive amounts of mail-in ballots, and the inconsistencies and operation of the voting machines, the 2020 elections were never adjudicated.

Today nearly two-thirds of Americans do not believe the 2024 election will be honest and secure. 

If the elections indeed will be decided in the swing states, isn't it particularly incumbent on the officials in those state to ensure honest elections? All these states have been approached to strengthen their election processes, but little if anything has been done to change the landscape of 2020.

Given their dismal election integrity state rankings and scorecards, doesn't the American voter deserve better?

Image: Public Domain