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Borrello’s immigrant post full of flaws

In a recent social media post shared by one of my classmates who still lives in Silver Creek I spotted an excellent example of cleverly disguised misinformation. The post my classmate shared was one of George Borrello, candidate for New York state Senate in the 57th district. The gist of the post was opposition to instituting a policy to allow for undocumented residents to obtain drivers licenses. Indeed, as political campaign posts often do, it had a scattershot coverage of multiple talking points including several implications and suggestions that are the stock and trade of campaign language. However, one thing stuck out to me and caught my attention.

To quote from the Borrello post, “As these illegal immigrants go through the process of getting a driver’s license, they will be prompted by the DMV’s system to register to vote. What system is in place to stop that fraudulent registration from occurring? Absolutely nothing!”

At first I thought I would let it go, but I kept coming back to it. This is a person running for statewide office who is openly spreading false information about how an extremely important part of the state government functions and impugning its veracity. The brief statement is clever in that virtually everyone has gone through the driver’s license application or renewal process. They are familiar with the process. Sure enough, when you get to the end it prompts you to register to vote. It must be true!

Only a brief amount of thought and consideration is required to reveal how painfully lacking this assertion is for truth. The complexity of data management and information security in today’s society is such that it is a statistical impossibility that such an error in the computer system for the DMV would ever happen. The way you are identified for legal transactions in most often with your driver’s license. It holds a position of trust and validity in our system that if you produce that card you are who it says it is. The state governments, as well as the Federal system and virtually any legal contract require this system to be above reproach.

But Borrello said himself, “What system is in place to stop that fraudulent registration from occurring? Absolutely nothing!” He certainly would not make that up, would he? What does he know that we don’t? Could there be a Machiavellian conspiracy at the highest levels of government to engineer fraudulent voters for “their side”? This is the suggestion made by Borrello’s post: that corruption at the highest levels is willfully creating systemic and systematic fraud in our election system.

Borrello is setting himself up as the heroic knight who will ride off over the horizon to slay the foul beast nobody has ever seen but he has told everybody about in great detail. Is this the type of representation the citizens of Chautauqua County and the Southern Tier want to have in Albany? Someone who makes up fictional concerns to back up fantastical claims?

I moved away from Western New York many years ago, so I have no dog in this fight. However, truth matters. Facts matter. If politicians can adopt the new model where they openly misinform, disinform, and gaslight who they intend to represent and speak for, the system of elected representation will no longer work for the electorate. Demand more of those seeking your vote. Demand more of yourself in evaluating them.

Jeff Dening is a Baltimore resident.

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