Statewide voter registration list will help solve problems

In the Seattle P-I this morning, there's a new story about the new statewide voter registration list which is supposed to go online later this year.

Regarding the issue of "the felon vote", the article has this to say:

King County prosecutors have identified 192 felons who voted illegally in November and are reviewing hundreds of additional names of alleged felon voters submitted by Republicans. Other counties also have moved to strike felons from the voter rolls.

When the new computerized information system first kicks in, there likely will be numerous challenges to registrations based on felony convictions, said Assistant Secretary of State Steve Excell. But the rate should drop off once the initial purging cleans up longstanding abuses, he said.

Of course, the database is not a cure-all solution for all of our election problems. Officials with the Secretary of State are wise enough to point out that we will never get a flawless election:

The new database should close some of the most serious of those breaches. But cracks will remain.

"This will not make our system suddenly perfect," said Trova Heffernan, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Sam Reed, who administers elections in Washington. "It will be significant -- but like there's no such thing as a perfect election."

Do you hear that, Stefan? Do you hear that, Chris Vance? Do you hear that, Mary Lane? Do you hear that, Dino Rossi? Let's say it slowly:

THERE...IS...NO...SUCH...THING...AS...A...PERFECT...ELECTION!

They may not realize it now, but the courts will clear up the matter for them, and some months from now, the GOP should be able to let go of this election challenge and accept reality.