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Voter ID? You tell me.

11/2/2011

10 Comments

 
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Why should someone mind bringing ID with them to vote?  This is a no-brainer.  Cries of voter suppression are an over-reaction.  It can't be that hard to get an ID.  If you're motivated enough to figure out when and where to vote, can you really not find out where to go for a state-issued photo ID, and get a ride or something? 

States all over the country are enacting laws requiring citizens to have specific, qualifying forms of identification in order to exercise their right to vote.  And why not?  It's "one person, one vote" in this country.  Voter fraud is a scary prospect.  What is more important than the integrity of the ballot?  Some are whining that this practice would add barriers to the voting process. They say the laws are motivated by a desire for low turn out among those who would have difficulty acquiring a photo ID.   These complainers need to offer evidence that it would really create a hardship.  Requiring ID is the simplest way to ensure people aren't skewing election results with illegal activities.

Right?

Actually, wrong.  The onus is on those pushing for these laws to provide substantive rationale for making a change in voting procedures.  If it is worth the time to write these bills and get them passed, there must be a reason we need them.  It's important to look carefully at any practice that adds another step between the voter and the ballot.  So why now?  What's changed that makes this an important new procedure?  What is the problem exactly?

Are wide swaths of voters are impersonating other voters in an attempt to sway elections?  Are narrow swaths of voters doing this?  Are any voters doing it?  Where is the fraud this is addressing?

What processes have been used to select this as the best solution?  Are evaluation tools in place to measure the increase in ballot security that this seeks to provide?  Have citizens been given a chance for input on implementation?  Why are some states passing these laws still not requiring voters to provide identification when registering to vote?  In North Carolina, after turning in the proper paper work, newly registered voters receive a voter registration card in the mail.  Under the Voter ID law proposed here, presenting this card would not get you a ballot.  Why are these two processes treated differently?

To be fair though, it's hard to generate workable solutions to a problem that doesn't exist.

10 Comments
Brother Lou
11/3/2011 11:44:53 am

This is really interesting. I completely agree that anything that creates another barrier between the voter and the ballot needs to be looked at carefully. Being a pessimist, I tend to think that's it done to prevent certain people from voting, but I really have no proof of that. It's frustrating.

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Julie link
11/3/2011 01:08:25 pm

It's natural for you to be suspicious of motives when nobody seems to be able to say why these laws are being enacted. The Obama administration opposes them and has committed to challenging them as voter obstruction. I can't believe we have to spend time and money on that, but somehow the laws are passing. I'm still waiting to hear a good reason for them.

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Carol Hammerstein
11/3/2011 08:45:59 pm

you scared me at first! I agree requiring an ID is an unnecessary barrier. If you can give your name and address, you can vote. If someone else also tries to give your name and address - that's when we know there's a problem.

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Greg Dant
11/3/2011 11:54:41 pm

One only has to do a little research to find many cases of voter fraud in American history. Sometimes as blantant as dead people voting, like Chicago in 1960. Sure, I''l grant that most were probably isolated cases, but I don't see any probelm with IDing people to vote. Many states require it to buy a cigarette or a beer and I think that a vote is a little more important than either one of those things. If there is no ID required, what is to stop a dishonest politician from sending in his supporters to vote in place of those that they know won't show? Hmmmm?

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Greg Dant
11/3/2011 11:59:58 pm

Of course, in America we have NO history of dishonest politicians anywhere, right? What our states need to concentrate on is making ID readily and easily available. These new homeland security required "secure" drivers licenses are going to ba a major P.I.A.

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Julie link
11/4/2011 03:11:50 pm

Yeah Carol, that point of view was so depressing it was hard to write, but I wanted to be provocative by taking that angle at first. I think these laws are sinister, but they are somehow making their way across the country.

Greg, there are plenty of dishonest politicians and election fraud is something to be vigilant about. I have been very worried about it in the past, and actually my husband has been the intended victim of some election underhandedness in the past.

But the supposed concern here would be dishonest VOTERS. Where did you say that was happening? Chicago, 1960? You can do better than that.

Here, let me help you.

Let's pretend I'm running for office and I'm down in the polls. I manage to find someone on the Board of Elections that I can buy off, and get them to locate names of people who are registered but haven't voted in awhile. Let's say it's a mayoral race, and I just want about 4,000 votes to make sure I'm over the top. All my corrupt elections official has to do is find the names of 4,000 currently registered voters who we "know won't show". We decide to go with people who haven't voted in 3 or more years.

Hopefully they won't show up this year in enough numbers to raise suspicion - how embarrassing: "hi, I'm here to vote? Name of Joe Smith, 202 Main Street?" "That's weird, Joe Smith of 202 Main Street was just here!" My corrupt official and I try to estimate how many people that could happen to without raising suspicion. If Joe Smith raises a stink, saying he has not voted yet and whoever voted in his place was an imposter, the polling staff might call the precinct committee chair, who might call the Board of Elections... we realized we just needed to make sure my helper answered all incoming on election day. Or maybe we could buy off another official. We'll make it work.

Back to my plan. All I have to do now is find enough supporters who are willing to engage in voter fraud to get me my 4,000 votes. If I can get each secret supporter to impersonate a voter at 8 different precincts, I can pull this off with with just 500 secret supporters. No sweat!

That's probably too many to meet quietly in person. I wonder if a phone tree would work? Maybe a secure website - I will create a spreadsheet, and they can find out who their 8 unsuspecting latent voters are, which precincts to go to, etc. I hope none of these 500 people tell anyone. I hope they never tell anyone, not before election day... or after... or next year. I hope none of them ask me for any kind of pay back or anything...

But back to my fool proof plan. By election day, the prep is done. My elections official stayed after work a few times and culled 4,000 names. Without raising any eyebrows, I identified 500 people in my party who would be willing to go to 8 precincts on election day, say they are someone else, talk their way out of it on the off chance that person has already voted, go into the booth and vote for me. They've all agreed never to tell anyone they are doing this, and they all promise never to blackmail me.

All that's done, and election day is going to be a piece of cake. I'm certain of it. All 500 people will successfully make it to all 8 polling places. No more than a handful of incidents will come up where someone at the precinct will want to follow up. The 4,000 votes will be just enough for me to win. No one will ever tell.

Once I have served as mayor for a few years, I can run for Senate, using my fail-safe plan. I will probably want to make sure I can count on 40,000 votes statewide to cinch the election. So let's see, with 8 polling places apiece, that's just 5,000 secret voters. As long as the liberals have their way and my 5,000 secret voters don't have to show ID at the polls, what could go wrong?


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Greg Dant
11/5/2011 11:00:37 am

Julie, that may not be the dumbest thing that I have ever read, but it has to be in the top three! I stand by my statement that there have been many instances of voter fraud in American history and the prudent thing is to positively ID people. Personally, I am fine with letting people vote via internet, as long as there is a fool proof way to ID the voters.

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Julie link
11/5/2011 12:00:23 pm

The reason it is dumb is that it describes what would have to take place for voter impersonation to affect the outcome of an election. If you can show me which part of my little fairy tale could actually take place in real life, I am on the edge of my seat.

Why don't each of those states require that voters bring in their voter registration card in order to vote. Mine sits in my wallet, unasked for when I vote - I've always wondered about that. Election boards can issue new copies through the mail. That means each of my 500 people above have to get a hold of the voter registration card of anyone whose place they want to vote in.

Greg, if you are going to engage on this issue, put a tiny bit of energy into and tell me once and for all what problem exists that would be solved with voter ID?

Of COURSE my story is silly - it is illustrating a silly idea. But election fraud is anything but silly and it is infuriating to me that people in positions of responsibility are trading on a fear of that and using red herrings for political gain.

The cases of election fraud in US history are much more terrifying. They are cases of SYSTEMIC corruption, not individual impersonation. My story shows how ludicrous it is to theorize that any election could be thrown by people not being able to prove they are who they claim to be when they walk into vote.

Give me one example of a problem that this is a solution to, PLEASE.

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Greg Dant
11/6/2011 07:51:18 am

I don't have any problem with using just the voter registration card, as long as it has a pboto of the voter on it. How much trouble could that be? Bring your verification to the polls and the clerk can take care of it there and it is a one time deal. When I registered and re-registered each time that I moved, there was never any verification of who I am (birth certificate, drivers license, etc... Votes are just too important in my mind to leave them open to any questions of authenticity. There is a much more rigorous process to get a drivers license or to get my professional license and maybe there should be, but at least they verify that it is indeed me. I do not recall that the Clerk's Office has ever verified who I am. The bigger question I think for opponents of secure voting is this: Why do you object to the making sure that any particlar voter has a legitimate right to vote? It smacks of an ulterior motive of some sort. Even one fraudulent vote taints the process.

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Greg Dant
11/13/2011 03:14:39 am

Julie,

Can you explain what your real objection is to a secure voting system, other than it solves a non-existant problem? I just sense that something else is at issue here for you. Virtually everyone in our electronic society has ID. States can make it very easy to obtain one for those that don't. My experience is that even the homeless people that we work with have ID, as it is needed for various types of assistance. There are so many other areas in our society that are less important than voting, yet have some sort of security measures in place. Surely you don't believe that is in an attempt to keep eligible people from voting? In fact, just the opposite is true and in our community the law seems to have broad support. Actually, one doesn't even have to show up to vote, as you can request and absentee ballot. Can you name even one person who has been kept from voting by any of the new laws? Here's an idea. Let's debate real issues that make a difference in our society and not one that is or should be such a non-issue to start.

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