McConnell is no leader

New and strong political leadership is desperately needed in Kentucky. When asked about President Donald Trump’s false assertion that millions voted illegally, Sen. Mitch McConnell refused to disavow the lie and said that “the notion that election fraud is a fiction is not true.”

McConnell unnecessarily contributed to the confusion about the integrity of our election system and diminished confidence in our democratic system. The truth, as demonstrated by many studies, is that vote fraud is incredibly low and the amount is inconsequential to the outcome of an election.

As stated by a federal judge in North Dakota when striking that state’s voter ID law, “the undisputed evidence before the court is that voter fraud in North Dakota is virtually non-existent.”

If steps are taken to make it even more difficult to vote, they will only reduce the number of citizens, particularly poor citizens, from doing so because they may lack the necessary photo identification. That truth was accepted by courts in five states in 2016.

McConnell’s statement exacerbates the discussion. We desperately need leadership in Kentucky. With McConnell, we’re not getting what we deserve.

This story was originally published February 7, 2017 at 6:46 PM with the headline "McConnell is no leader."