Liberals have spent most of the year trying to convince Americans that voter ID laws are a false front for racist voter suppression. They argue there’s no such thing as voter fraud and that legislation aimed at combating election cheating is merely a Republican plot to steal the election. But, as a new Washington Post poll on the subject demonstrates, the majority aren’t buying it. Almost three quarters — 74 percent — believe voters should be required to show official, government-issued identification when they vote. A clear majority of those polled also think, contrary to liberal allegations, that voter ID laws are rooted in concern about a genuine problem.
These numbers have to concern Democrats who are hoping to whip up a backlash against voter ID legislation by falsely claiming they are a new form of “Jim Crow” laws intended to foster discrimination. Indeed, given the drumbeat of incitement against voter ID laws in the mainstream media, you have to wonder why there is so much resistance to the liberal line on this topic. The answer, however, is quite simple. The public knows that claims that voter fraud is nonexistent run counter to everything they know about politicians, elections and human nature.
The huge numbers supporting voter ID isn’t hard to figure out. Anyone who travels or has to conduct any sort of transaction with a bank or the government know they are going to be asked to identify themselves in this manner. The notion that something as important as voting should be exempt from such a requirement makes no sense to most people.
And though a not insignificant number worry about voters being discouraged or wrongly having their franchise denied, far more understand it is more likely that politicians and parties are looking to find a way to cook the books and steal a close election than their right to vote will somehow be taken away.
After all, the vast majority of Americans already have a state-issued card with a photo, and states that have passed voter ID laws have made provisions for those without them to get one free of charge. They also know it is no harder to get one of these free ID cards than it is to register to vote in the first place. They rightly wonder why it is some think there is something sinister in having a voter prove they are eligible to vote, because it appears as if opponents of voter ID seem to be taking the position that citizens should never be asked to produce proof of residence in a state, city or district or even that they are actually American citizens. Interestingly enough, as the Post notes in their own analysis of the poll, a solid majority of both the elderly and the poor — groups it is believed will be impacted by such laws — also support voter ID.
The problem for liberals is their repeated claim that voter fraud never happens is given the lie by the controversies that bubble up every time there is a close election. Neither Republicans nor Democrats trust each other not to cheat, as the debacle of Florida in 2000 and the fight about paperless touch screen voting machines showed.
Inclusion is important, which is why states and the parties should promote voter registration drives to ensure that every qualified citizen who wishes to vote has the opportunity. But it is no less important than the need to ensure that our elections are fair and honest. The Post poll demonstrates that when it comes to fraud, most people weren’t born yesterday. They realize that protecting democracy requires vigilance against both exclusion and cheating.
Several points to bear in mind, as this article has conveniently simplified what Republicans are doing to change voting rules. If this push is truly only about fraud, then why all the changes to rules regarding absentee balloting and other procedural issues relating to voting which have absolutely nothing to do with proving identity? Why change something as supposedly simple as voting hours? nI fully support showing ID to vote, but if someone is determined to commit fraud will a little thing like getting a fake ID stop them? nAs noted in the article, n"The public knows that claims that voter fraud is nonexistent run counter to everything they know about politicians, elections and human nature"– so following on the heels of that statement isn't it necessarily true that BOTH parties are committing voter fraud? There would be no reason to assume otherwise, correct? nSo if both parties are involved with voter fraud how does tightening ID requirements benefit just one party? nObviously it is not all it seems in this coordinated move by the Republican party.
n Your comment is wrong in so many ways. Why do you think that the Obama Administrations Department of Justice is suing states that dare require their voters to have an ID? It's because the Obama Administration wants Illegal Aliens and Felons to vote in the upcoming election. By suing these states that in it’s self is an admission of that in my opinion.
"I fully support showing ID to vote, but if someone is determined to commit fraud will a little thing like getting a fake ID stop them? " n nThe answer is "no." However, making voter fraud more difficult will deter some people from committing voter fraud.
Voter ID can also be called "Protect the Vote". n nIf protecting our Vote from fraud required a long explanation, then you are the problem.
Is it more coordinated than the move by ACORN? Is it more coordinated than the endless fountains of votes that blossom up from college campuses, from (saw this personally… people going door to door in apartment blocks offering $20 to $40 for the mail-in ballots – they got them signed, took them blank and left the money behind assuring the people they would vote well for them…) large immigrant and non-english areas? n nWhat you do not want to acknowledge is that the franchise is not immune to falsification. If you really beleieved that each individual's vote was important, securing it from fraud and election buying would be VERY IMPORTANT to you. n nInstead, you behave as if the real issue is ensuring by any means that your preferred candidate wins. Hence the concern about illegal votes. QED
It's not so much that I back them. I am astonished at the resistance to them. These objections come from the same people who literally see no plausible limits to government intrusion in everyone's life in every way….except this sole example.
I recently returned from Israel, visiting my children and grandchildren. I told them that in the U.S. one can vote without an ID. They simply do not understand how this is possible. I think the U.S. government should listen to Israelis, as Americans do not have any common sense.
I agree, universal, compulsory health care it is.
Nor do the Canadians. In Canada, to get on the national registration role. one must supply a birth or naturalization certificate plus a recent photo ID (e.g., medicare card or driver's license). If one isn't on this role but chooses to vote anyway, local registration is available prior to the election, the same regulations as above being applied. At the poll, one must be on the rolls and show the same sort of photo ID before casting the ballot as was shown at registration. Simple procedure. No outcry of voter suppression. Respect for law and fairness become a problem only when the violation of both becomes the intent.
I don't see the problem with asking someone to see their ID so they can vote. You need an ID to buy beer, purchase a gun, to drive an automobile and cash a check. I don't see why these same people that use and ID to do these things can show an ID to vote. This is about protecting our elections and not allowing Illegal Aliens and Felons to vote.
The reason why, is very simple. Dead people do not photograph well. It's even worse with people who have been cremated. They have a particular pale and ashy look in pictures, and sometimes they simply appear as blank spaces!
Liberals couldn't care less about how many people approve of their vicious tactics as long as they get by using them in this election. They truly believe it's better to apologize after the fact for their sins rather than asking for approval before they commit them. Unless something is done before the election to assure that the polls are verifying voters, elections will be stolen just as they have been by the D'rats in 2008.
riiiiiight, the last time i heard of possible vote tampering on any type of large scale was 2000.
This is really a fairly simple problem to analyze. People who object to any rule or law are the ones most likely to lose from its impact. Democrats have admitted that the people most likely to be "disenfranchised" are the elderly, poor, disabled, etc. Not surprising that these are the same groups that are preyed upon by democrats. I say preyed upon because I can't think of one top democrat who isn't a millionaire at least. So, instead of spending all of the resources that democrats spend on opposing these voter ID laws, they should spend them on obtaining birth certificates and other forms of legal ID for these classes of potential voters. I am sure that this has already been considered in many democratic organizations. It would come as no surprise to discover that this approach was abandoned when it became obvious that this was not the real issue as birth certificates cannot be obtained for non-existent people.
Like Republicans wouldn't object to tougher absentee voting standards or ID laws that affect the elderly, since these ID laws usually exempt the elderly.
It's true both, all parties do it. Though one might suggest that one side is a helluva lot better at making it work. That being said, what's the problem with the concept? Protect eligible voters. Common sense.
It doesn't protect eligible voters without ID's.
The Constitution is not a suicide pact.
Hey electedfeces, the Supreme Court doesn't agree with you. Last time I checked, the had the final say in such matters.
yep, and there are 5 republicans on the supreme court. woohoo!
It's obviously not voter suppression to require an ID. The Democrats are known to steal elections, assist dead people in voting and would like as many illegals from Mexico to vote as well. In my opinion those who oppose requiring a simple ID to vote simply would like voter fraud to continue because it helps keep Democrats in power.
Yeah, republicans don't steal elections. They care about people.
Are you serious, have you forgot about the Gore recount? The Republicans did every thing they could to stop the count. Not because they cared about who really won but because they wanted Bush to win no mater what. Now that was voter fraud conducted by the republicans
If you have a flush toilet or for that matter a bathroom for every bedroom in your house, I can see how such a large percentage might not understand how someone only has an outhouse. You are simply applying your beliefs and perceptions about how the world operates to all people regardless of their individual circumstances. "far more understand it is more likely that politicians and parties are looking to find a way to cook the books and steal a close election than their right to vote will somehow be taken away." What the (blank) is this? This is simply no basis for this claim. If people weren't outraged by Bush v. Gore or Ohio in '04, then this alleged current concern is truly based in fiction.
Ed Schultz is that you? That clown tried to claim that Bush Stole Ohio… I don't know how any sane person could spout that crap out there.
That voter fraud, intimidation and suppression exist is like saying the sun is bright; a self-evident truth. Let me just state a few instances: n n> Al Franken won his Senate seat by 250 votes in an election in which 1099 felons voted; n> In 2000 there was an organized effort to suppress the military absentee votes in Florida; n> In 2000 there was an organized effort to suppress the absentee botes in Orange County, California; n> In 2008 the New Black Panthers were cited for voter intimidation, but the Obama "justice" department refused to prosecute; n> Voting corruption in Chicago is legendary. It may be urban legend, but even dead democrats continue to vote actively; indeed, Chicago cemeteries are hotbeds of liberal political activity; n n nAnd this is to say nothing of the successful conspiracy to allow illegals to vote, especially in California. And of course the jest, "Vote early, vote often." n nThe integrity of the electoral process is too important to just ignore the smoke that may be indicating a fire… n n
Whose to day that the felons didn't vote for Norm – maybe they were white collar guys, you know, Banksters. Plus felon is a broad term – what is the exact law in Minn.? It's primarily the southern states that ban felons forever. Most of the others have different degrees as to how and when they regain their rights. There was no active effort to suppress military votes. The problem is as in most states that the law isn't clear as to when the ballots must be received and when they must be post marked by. As I recall, there were other glaring problems in Florida that the GOP hasn't desired to address or fund. I tend to recall that after Crist restored the voting rights to felons who had served their time and parole, that the first thing Rick Scott did was to reverse this. So who is playing games?
There are two key principles involved in requiring voters to exhibit valid identification in voting. No one can prove a negative is applicable in defining the population of illegal voters. We are certain that dead people have voted, but no cadaver has ever crawled out of the grave and confessed. Thus devising an electoral system that suppresses the grave yard vote is a step forward. r nr nThe second principle is proportionally, the punishment fits the crime. Consider three conducts: I do not file my tax report; I sneak into America, and illegally live here for forty years, or I vote even though I know this is illegal. What are the expected consequences? What numbers of convicts in Penitentiaries, broke each law? What are their sentences, relative to corrupting a jury, or bribing a legislator to vote my way or betraying our nation to an enemy?r nr nIf there are no illegal voters, could everyone agree to impose the death penalty on each illegal voter? A harsh penalty on no one is not a problem. Could we agree that ten illegal votes disqualifies a candidate for office? Only when there is a probable penalty in illegal politics, will we achieve clean politics.
Wow. Looks like lots of people agreed with you. NOT!
If there is no voter fraud, like the left claims, why are they so against voter I.D.? nThen it shouldnt matter one way or another. nMost voters know what the left if after though. They are underestimating the people of the United States.
Because it suppresses the vote of people that don't have ID, mostly poor, minority, and the elderly. But I imagine the elderly will be allowed to vote by this law anyway because they usually vote Republican.
That is a load of crap and you know it. These are the same people that have id’s to buy cigarettes, booze and drive an automobile. This is about the left wanting illegal aliens to vote and you know it.
Time and time again I am requested to provide some proof of identification. And sometimes my id is carefully scrutinized. If protecting the integrity of our election simply means I must do what I casually do several times a week then I have no problem with the law.
I wouldn't waste my time looking at any video submitted by someone who made such an idiotic statement. I'm embarrassed for you. n nJust so we're clear. The Supreme Court has already ruled on the concept and constitutionality of voter I.D. Laws. The court voted 6-3 to uphold them. The majority opinion was written by the most Liberal member of the court. n nYou may not live in Egypt, but you are definitely in "De Nile" !
I'm okay with reasonable Voter ID requirements, but what evidence is there that voter fraud is some major problem? Of course, it has happened in the past, but is it REALLY a big problem? "Common Sense" is not always right.
Common sense is never wrong.
The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits each state government from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude" (for example, slavery). It was ratified on February 3, 1870.. Note that the amendment explicitly applies only to *citizens*. It is thus clearly constitutional for a state to deny the vote to non-citizens. Even citizens can be denied the right to vote provided that the denial is not based on race etc. But how can a state distinguish between true citizens and non-citizens if a person is not required to show that they are who they claim to be? The courts have already ruled that Indiana's ID law is valid and besides voter ID is just common sense and everyone knows it. This democrat bawling about racism is nothing but a continuation of their usual attempts to stir up racial divisions and hatred against the republican party and to paper over the fact that historically the democrats supported first slavery and then segregation of the races. Democrats are worried that Blacks might wake up and realize that their true friends in this country have always been the republicans and they want to scare Blacks to make sure they stay on the plantation. The real fact is that Black people have ID cards just as much as white people d. And it is no more or less trouble for Black people to show their ID's and to get themselves to the voting booth on election day. The minorities in this country are not stupid that they can follow reasonable rules about ID cards as well as any white person. In fact minorities are just as worried about fraud by illegal aliens as anyone else. We all know it happens and no one wants to see a close election decided by illegals and machine politicians
The history of voter fraud for Dems goes to Tammany. And yes, Pubs in Atlantic City did it too……70 plus years ago. Recently, Wash. state, MN, Ill., Fla., Idian. all have had proved voting fraud and every one of them, whether SEIU or ACORN inspired , were Dems. No one with common sense would want walking around money as Dems use in NJ to be the rule of the day. The history of fraud shown by John Fund is now well known as 74% of Americans wanted voter ID. Thankfully, Pa. has it. Now if we could only get the Blue and Purple states to do so, people would not be afraid of the Panthers, felons voting, illegals voting and all , all of our MILITARY would be allowed to vote though national Dems do not want them and that is from the WH on down, or should I say, that vaunted innocent, E. Holder of Justice. This Commentary article should be spread nation wide for all the states to see.
I'll just say this and surely no one will disagree with me. If you are a Democrat and want to vote and do not have an ID but are registered, then get the provisional ballot that they must present you and fill it out. Don't worry about inconveniencing any of the people around you. Get your vote to count. Don't let this law stop you from voting. If you are Democrat and live in a battleground state, go to the polls and watch to make sure your fellow Democrats are allowed to do this. If there are any problems, call the local news immediately.
I haven't seen this many angry white men since Romney spoke in Ohio yesterday with all the Coal miners. Everyone of them was white and male. Every one of them. I don't know if there are enough angry white men in the country to win this election for Romney.
No, it is not a violation of the 15th amendment to require that the person voting verify that they are actually the person registered. The legislature is in charge of making the laws, not the courts… see if uyou can get the laws loosened by elected representatives if you think they are wrong… but answer this: Why do you object to proof of registration and ID verification? Wouldn't the poor and disadvantaged be better off if they had ID? woldn't that benefit them beyond the vote? then why do all the 'concerned' organizations only care about their vote instead of helping them with a larger part of their lives as well? n nBecause they DON'T really care about the individual.
The only people against showing a photo ID to vote are people who are trying to commit voter fraud or who hope to leave the window open for Democrats to commit voter fraud in the future. There is just no rational or sane reason to oppose photo ID requirements for voting.
Yep, that's right – the Dems are worried they are going to lose this election and many of the state wide elections and are trying to muck up the works.
Oh Goody another Obama plant/internet troll.
But ids cost money . Making voting not free
Encouraged by ACORN – Left Leaning criminal Front Group.