While I am a big fan of what Palast is doing, it's important to understand that he is mixing two activities: NCOA list maintenance, and, Crosscheck.
NCOA -- National Change of Address list maintenance.
Here's how is works in Virginia.
When people move, they complete a change of address form at their local post office giving old and new address -- that is, most of us do. Each year in July, the USPS sends this list to the states; each state receives a list of people in their state who have moved. The states get name, social security number, old and new addresses.
States then run that list against their voter registration rolls -- at least, in Virginia that's what we do. If a person's new address does not match the address on the voter rolls, that is accepted as evidence that the person moved and did not notify their local registrar to change their address.
A letter is sent to each person in this category. The letter goes by forwardable mail, in hopes the letter will catch up with them. Inside the letter is a card and a postage-paid envelope. The voter is to indicate their change of address on the card and return it to the state Department of Elections.
Anyone who does not return the card is designated an INACTIVE VOTER. If an inactive voter shows up at the polls to vote, they are asked to fill out a change of address form that updates their voter registration. They then cast a provisional ballot which, unless there is a disqualifying condition, is counted.
If an inactive voter does not vote in TWO CONSECUTIVE FEDERAL ELECTIONS -- four years -- that voter's name is removed from the voter registration rolls.
CROSSCHECK
Crosscheck is a voluntary system in which 26 (??? not certain of the number) states participate.
Annually participating states send to Crosscheck their voter registration database. Crosscheck converts these databases to a common format, then, Crosscheck compares the states to see if anyone is registered to vote in more than one state. If matches are found, Crosscheck sends to each state a list of voters in that state who appear to be registered in another state.
In my small Virginia county with 11,000 registered voters, we receive each year a list of 20 or so voters who are "registered to vote in two states." This has been going on for 8 years and we have yet to find someone who is double-registered. When we investigate, we find: (1) moved to another state, registered there, cancelled their VA registration, Crosscheck is wrong; (2) list is wrong -- same name, similar name; (3)unable to contact the voter in VA or any other state.
The problem is that Crosscheck uses names and birth date. The most common name in the US is Maria Garcia, or, Robert Smith -- depending on whom you ask.
If there are 23 people in a room, there's a 50/50 chance that two will have the same birthDAY. With 75 people, the odds go up to 99.9%. I don't have the stats on how many people you must have to have the same birthDAY and year, but, with tens of thousands of Maria Garcias, Robert Smiths, and other very common names, it's not unusual that people with the same name and birthdate show up in different states. Add to this Jr, Sr, different middle initials and the like, and the number of cross-state "matches" increases.
And -- Crosscheck is based in . . . . Kansas . . . the home state of . . . Chris Kolbach.
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