Voter ID: What is it, and do we need it?

 

In October of 2002, the Help America Vote Act was passed, in part because of the punch card debacle in Florida. Remember the hanging chads?

The Voter identification portion of the HAVA calls for any voter who has registered to vote by mail and who has not previously voted in a Federal election to show a current and valid photo identification or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the voter. Voters who submit any of these forms of identification during registration are exempt.

 

The HAVA allows each State to implement Voter ID as it sees fit, based on minimum guidelines in the act. As you see from this list, not all states follow the same path.

Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia currently have the minimum HAVA identification requirements: First-time voters who register by mail and do not provide identification verification with their registration must show identification before voting. Photo and non-photo identification is accepted in these states, one of which is California.

Eighteen states require identification from all voters. Photo and non-photo identification is accepted in these states.

 

Three states require all voters to show photo identification. Voters in those states without the required identification will be offered provisional ballots.

Four states request all voters to show photo identification. Voters in those states without the requested identification may sign affidavits and cast regular ballots.

Two states require identification of all first-time voters.

Photo and non-photo identification accepted in these states.

The Democratic Party sees voter identification requirements as an obstruction that unjustly affects the poor, minorities and elderly voters, who often lack the required forms of identification and who also are inclined to vote Democratic.

 

Another reason why voter identification runs into obstacles is because it can, and most likely will, lead to a national identification card for every American, which is un-American in my opinion.

The Republican Party says that voter identification should be a prerequisite because it will help stop voter fraud, and since the various groups that would be most affected vote predominantly Democratic, Republicans feel that it makes sense to demand voter identification.

OK, so you have heard some of the pros and cons to voter identification. Do we need it? I don’t think so.

 

While the HAVA calls for states to implement the mandate, it allows each state to implement identification verifications as it sees fit, based upon the guidelines of the HAVA. And any program that would call for standardized identifications would lead to national identification cards, which are un-American.

 

I believe that it’s the 10th Amendment of the Constitution that deals with individual state rights, and each state for more than 200 years has been dealing with elections.

While our election process is far, very far, from perfect, it has suited our nation well.

Almost every state and national election has produced some talk of voter fraud, and on a regular basis voter fraud is found, and it has been our courts of law that have dealt with it; let’s keep it that way.