As this case shows, voter fraud is always a danger to democracy. Briefs in the case show that the number of votes cast in Wisconsin in 2004 exceeded the number of registered voters by over 4,600. Since you can’t have more votes than you have voters, there was clearly fraud going on there. And since that amounted to about two percent of the total state vote, in a close election that could determine who takes the governorship, a Senate seat, or even the White House.

Election law cases like this balance the burden a law puts on the right to vote with the state’s important interest in ensuring that free and fair elections result in the people’s chosen candidate being elected. Every voter registration law is a burden; there’s no way around that. Every requirement you put on the voting system makes it harder to vote, but each effective requirement also makes our voting system more secure and makes it more likely that the candidate chosen by the people will be the one to lead them in office.

America is rare in its ability to maintain integrity in the voting booth. In many nations around the world ballot boxes are stuffed, voters are beaten, opposition candidates are thrown in jail, and thieves and criminals steal elections to seize power. While our system has its flaws, it is nonetheless among the most secure and honest in the world.

But, the stakes could not be higher. America has the largest economy and the most powerful military in the world. Over 300 million people live under America’s direct governance, and all six billion people on the planet are impacted by who sits in our Congress and the Oval Office.

The question before the justices of the Supreme Court is whether, given these stakes, this Indiana law appropriately protects the integrity of the ballot box while not harming the right of Indiana’s people to vote. This case will be closely watched by election officials all over America, and will shape how we safeguard our precious right to vote in America.