Voter Registration Concerns: 'Zombie' voters could 'sway' US election

It's kinda hard to vote when you're dead. Still, that hasn't stopped 1.8 million deceased from remaining on voter registration lists across the US. On the face of it, this should not be a problem except in the event of zombie apocalypse - and the very real fact that these deceased voters cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The current problem has been highlighted by a recent report from the Pew Center on the States that found 24 million active voter registrations have significant errors. 

For example, 2.75 million voters are registered in more than one state.

There is no evidence to suggest these errors are the result of deliberate fraud, but rather they are the product of the antiquated American voter registration system that is failing as Americans become increasingly mobile.

Unfortunately, these mistakes are expensive. The Pew study used Oregon as a case study and found the state spent more than $8.8 million on voter registration, which is about $4.11 per registered voter for the 2008 election. This figure includes thousands of deceased voters. 

By contrast, Canada spends 35 cents per voter, nationwide. Why the difference? Canada keeps digital voter records while the US still relies on a traditional pen and paper method. It's an ironic twist when one considers the sophistication of the US government and the tech-savvy of Americans in general. But despite being wired (or rather wirelessly connected) in every other facet of life, Americans still rely on an outmoded registration practices.

The result is an expensive national embarrassment at a time when cutting costs is a priority. The Pew study recommends that the US should digitize its records and check them against other databases such as motor vehicle registries. Using online registration would also increase accuracy while driving down costs and processing times. 

As it is now, at least 51 million eligible voters, some 24 percent of the total eligible voting population, isn't even registered to vote in the upcoming presidential election. At the same time, some 1.8 million deceased are eligible, which means in the event of that zombie apocalypse, they could easily sway the election.

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