You could have cheated

I hate to say it, since I've been a supporter of the new photo-ID requirement for voting, but it would have been pretty easy to commit fraud at my polling place Tuesday. It's one of the triple-precinct sites, which means at times the line of people waiting to vote snaked way out of sight of those escorting us to the voting machines. When we first went in, we were directed to go our precinct tables, show our IDs and sign the book, then go back to the end of the line, clutching our little pieces of paper with our precinct numbers on them, which we would then show at the voting machine. There was a precinct official whose job was to stand at the end of the line and give us those instructions. But he had other duties, too, so he wasn't always there. (Somebody already in line told me what to do, in fact). All you needed to do to cheat was go when there was a crowd and watch for the official to go somewhere else.

Method No. 1: Show your ID, sign the book, then pass your slip of paper to someone else.

Method No. 2, if you really want to cheat: Go to the precinct table and make chit-chat with the person there, which will make it seem like your are signing in, etc. Then go back to the end of the line with a forged precinct-identification chit; it's just a plain, white piece of paper with the numbers written in standard blue ink.

If they're going to keep the doubled-up and tripled-up precincts, and are really serious about fraud, better crowd control might be a good idea.