A number of leftist and progressive sites are up in arms because students are having their voter registrations changed to Republican by deceit.

Look, this has absolutely no effect on this election. Anybody can vote for anyone they like regardless of party registration. It can only affect voting in future partisan elections such as a Democratic primary, and then only if the voters choose not to change their registrations back to Democrat.

This is another example, unfortunately, of the Left wasting its energy. There are real threats to a free and fair election, and this ain't it!

The most likely explanation for these registration changes is that canvassers are being paid per registration to register Republicans, and they're having a hard time finding victims. That's perfectly understandable. Republicans have been conducting these registration drives for years now and have just about tapped out the pool of fools. (It helped them get elected, by the way.)

There are in fact some benefits for the Democrats in this—

• People who've had their registrations changed won't forget it—or the party that was behind it
• If those canvassers are being paid per registration, they're throwing Republican dollars down the drain
• It strengthens the importance of membership in a political party—something that's been on the decline for the past few decades, with more and more voters registering as Independent.
• It's generating bad press for the Republicans

That's not bad on somebody else's dime.

Related post:
Voter intimidation begins early in Florida