Report: VA Gov McAuliffe Opens Polls for Hillary Clinton ‘Ghost Voters’ with Election-Reform Bill Veto 

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), the longtime Clinton loyalist, may have made it easier for “ghost voters” to cast absentee ballots for Hillary Clinton in the important swing state in 2016 by vetoing an election-reform bill that would have required voters to issue a photo ID before receiving absentee ballots.

According to a Virginia Watchdog report, McAuliffe’s veto of a reform bill that “would have required phone, mail or email applicants to provide a photo ID before receiving an absentee ballot–just as they are required to do when applying in person”–leaves “a gaping hole for absentee-ballot abuse.”

Reagan George, president of the Virginia Voters Alliance, told Watchdog that McAuliffe’s veto leaves “a gaping hole for ghost voters.”

“This will only bloat the voter rolls as McAuliffe prepares the ground for Hillary Clinton’s (presidential) run in 2016,” George told the outlet. “We know that McAuliffe (a former chief fundraiser for the Clintons and ex-chairman of the Democratic National Committee) is plowing the ground for Hillary in 2016.”

According to Watchdog, “in the 2012 presidential election, 447,907 absentee ballots were cast in Virginia — 90 percent of them Democrats”–which represented “8.3 percent of the vote that year.” That is enough to swing the 2016 election in Virginia, according to the report. President Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney in Virginia by four percentage points in 2012 (51.2%-47.3%)

The bill “passed the House 62-34 and cleared the Senate 20-17,” but “since two-thirds majorities are required in both chambers to override a gubernatorial veto, McAuliffe is likely to prevail.” McAuliffe reportedly claimed that the bill “imposes barriers on eligible voters” when he vetoed it on Friday.

McAuliffe’s 2013 gubernatorial campaign was viewed as a test run for Clinton’s 2016 campaign in a state that is becoming one of the most important presidential swing states. For instance, McAuliffe’s 2013 campaign manager, Robby Mook, will run Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.