The Virginian-Pilot
©
RICHMOND
The first in a series of measures aimed at tightening Virginia’s election laws began moving toward passage in the House of Delegates today.
Del. Mark Cole’s bill, , provides that voters who are unable to present an approved form of identification at the polls would have to vote a provisional ballot – a ballot that would not be counted unless and until the voter’s identity is verified.
The measure was approved 4-2 along party lines by a House subcommittee over the opposition of several interest groups that called it an attempt to suppress voter turnout, especially among minority and low-income Virginians.
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Previous | Battle brewing over Virginia voter ID bill
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An identical bill from Cole, R-Spotsylvania County, was passed by the Republican-led House last year but died in a Democrat-controlled Senate committee. It may have a better chance this year in the Senate, which now has an effective Republican majority.
Cole said the bill is an attempt to prevent voter fraud, not to deny anyone’s right to vote. But he acknowledged under questioning that he knows of no cases in which ineligible people impersonating registered voters have been allowed to vote.
“In a democracy, the more people who vote, the better,” said Glenn Besa, Virginia director of the Sierra Club, one of the bill’s opponents. “Why try to fix a problem that doesn’t exist?”
Kimberly Allen of the Coalition to Protect Our Vote likened the bill to Virginia’s history of repressing African-American voting rights with such measures as literacy tests and poll taxes and warned that it would invite lawsuits.
Hope Amezquita, legislative counsel to the Virginia ACLU, said national statistics show the likelihood of voter impersonation is less than the chance of being struck by lightning.
Still awaiting consideration in this legislative session are measures requiring proof of citizenship and photo identification with voter registration applications.
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DOCUMENT | TEXT OF THE BILL
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Suggestion
The controversy becomes a non-issue as soon as the United States institutes national identity cards for each citizen, as does every other advanced country I know of. It would be easier to track undocumented aliens who in any case would not want to risk deportation just to vote, and it would relieve the states of a large part of their technological challenges in creating unforgeable driver's licenses that double as photo IDs. It would make getting on an domestic flight simpler, too, because every passenger would carry a consistent form of identification the airline does not have to decipher. What say?
If...
you are a U. S. citizen, it shouldn't bother anyone.It doesn't bother or affect me or my family. It's already done in a lot of places to verify your address and to see that you are in the right precinct or borough to vote. It would weed out illegal people that would want their 2 cents put in. If someone needs a ID card all they need to do is go to the DMV, it's not expensive. Most people with a suspended drivers license carry state issued ID cards. I really don't like the idea that a state or federal government has to know my whereabouts but in this case I really don't mind.
"... it's not expensive."
... for a middle-class white person like you. And that's who we want electing our government officials, isn't it?
Handing it all over to the Govt
So, let me get this straight: We are going to require a citizen to have a government issued id in order to be able to vote in government run elections? That is the fox in charge of the hen-house. If the government wants to remove people from the voting rolls simply deny them the proper ID. Simple, really. And how much is an ID going to cost? And would it not make sense for the government to cross reference your id when you come in to vote so that if you are behind on some personal property taxes or something then they can get you right then? That way we can make sure that nobody that owes any taxes, has any warrants, has any unpaid traffic tickets, etc. does not vote. I can see this working great...for the government.
Three groups
There are three groups involved in this argument – Republicans who want to suppress minority participation, Democrats who want to make it easier to commit voter fraud, and those who want to do what is right. I wonder how much the comments would change if more people supported the last group.
Illogical alert!
Democrats want to assure that everyone who is entitled to vote can do so readily. That's what is right.
what is right
Doing "what is right" is allowing people to exercise their Constitutional right to vote without restrictions. If the GOP can prove voter fraud then the situation changes...but they can't and they know it. That's why they won't investigate voter fraud...it doesn't exist to any real extent.
You show an amazing lack
of understanding about rights and the Constitution. The 'right' to vote has always been restricted, in one way or another, just as every other right in the Constitution is restricted. This is not a restriction it is a requirement everyone must meet in order to ensure the process is uncorrupted. As for proving voter fraud, that is an unachievable road block thrown up by liberals because they KNOW the standard of proof required for a conviction is practically impossible for this type of crime under the current rules. There are places in the US where the voter fraud is so well known that it is a joke - vote early and vote often!, as the say in Chicago.
Neither does voter suppression
This is 2012. Public info about elections (precincts, hours, candidates, etc.); means of transportation (to get to/from); K-12 education (for reading & writing); and yes, ACCESS to voting (ADA compliance, bilingual, observers, etc.) have NEVER been better than today. These facts are incontrovertible. Recall the conditions during the MLK, Selma, etc., days and people who think otherwise should be ashamed. If you don't know the next election date, don't know where you are to vote, don't know how you are going to get to the polling place, can't produce valid ID, you aren't really trying no matter how old/infirm you are. In fact, elderly/frail/infirm can use absentee voting. The biggest hurdle in voting is registering, not producing an ID.
Voter Fraud
There is always going to be instances of voter fraud no matter what type of ID system is used at the polls. There will always be cases where legitimate voters will be questioned at the polls and possibly denied the right to vote. I believe a photo ID system, while not perfect, will help to minimize voter irregularities. I am not sure why we would even allow those that could not prove their identity to vote on a provisional ballot. Either you are a legal registrant to vote or you are not.