For years, a hardy band of mostly conservative lawyers has been warning that American voter rolls are so poorly maintained as to be absolutely ripe for, and perhaps already rife with, abuse. At Real Clear Investigations on July 11, reporter Mark Hemingway amply confirmed that those attorneys were correct.

Hemingway reports that Los Angeles County has an astonishing 1.6 million more people listed on its voter rolls than there are actual, voting-age residents of the county. Statewide, California’s official voter registration stands at 101% of its population, which is astounding considering that many Californians are not even citizens. Obviously, when there are more names are on the lists than voters, there is plenty of room for error, mischief, or outright fraud.