Setting voter quotas just doesn't register

Leaders of the Community Voters Project were asking for trouble when they set quotas for canvassers they hired to help register new voters.

And trouble is exactly what they got.

The organization set goals for new registrations that workers were required to meet as a condition of employment. No one should be surprised that some staffers saw the opportunity to make a buck without doing the work. The practice encouraged some canvassers to fill out multiple applications for an individual, take registrations by telephone and even create fake registrations.

Three Hampton staffers and a Norfolk woman have been charged with election fraud, and other questionable registrations are under review across Hampton Roads.

All of the offenders appear to have been motivated by greed and laziness, not a desire to tamper with the election results. No evidence has surfaced suggesting that any of the irregularities could have resulted in illegal votes on Election Day. Voters can take comfort that no breach has occurred in the quality or integrity of the electoral system.

They should also get some satisfaction that safety precautions are in place and are working. Leaders at the Community Voters Project caught the initial fraudulent forms in Hampton and alerted local officials. In Norfolk, the vigilance of Registrar Elisa Long brought the most recent irregularities to light. Commonwealth's Attorney Jack Doyle responded promptly with felony charges.

That said, quotas have no place in voter registration drives, and there should be no tolerance for any practice that undermines public confidence in our elections.