206 replies to this topic

[tessieca]

Even if you take UV's article as 100% true, how does it follow that voter ID is a bad thing? If fraud isn't happening, then nothing will change on voting day if one has to show an ID.

[cw68]

Like I said before, anyone having an objection to having to show their ID before voting is probably worried there will be a loss in illegal voters and that their party suffer because of it.

Seems pretty clear to me! Other than that, why the big whine and objection????

No, that's not the only reason. The concern really is simple. I understand the desire to ensure, with photo ID, the identity of the voter. It's also very easy to dismiss the barriers to getting an ID when you don't have a problem overcoming those barriers. But there are real barriers to a lot of people.

I want to note that just as people have accused Democrats of not wanting to exclude those who would tend to vote democratic, Republicans don't want minorities and poor people voting because it's less likely they would vote republican because they know republican policies tend to be bad for them. It goes both ways.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, it was found that in the ten states that require ID, 500,000 eligible voters need to go more than ten miles to a government center where they can get an ID. Not a big deal to those of us who drive and have a car; a bigger deal than those who don't. Additionally, the hours can be sporadic at best. The office in Sauk City, WI is only open four days this entire year (the fifth Weds of any month).

Then there is the whole cost thing. In theory IDs are free, but there's a cost to getting the documents needed if you don't have them on hand ($25 for a birth certificate, $20 for a marriage license if your name changed).

The bottom line to me is that having money and a car isn't required in order to vote, nor should it be. IMO, protecting our liberties (the right to vote) is the most important thing here.

Before anyone shoots off short-sighted thinking that I'm saying this as a Democrat, I thought this when I used to be a Republican, too. You see, my Republican parents both grew up very poor, a poor that's hard to understand today. My mother's family wouldn't have had the money to replace their documents and my father's family wouldn't have had the money because they *only* earned coal mining script (Funny aside, my uncle literally never saw US currency until he was 10 when some fell out of a soldier's pocket at the local bus stop. He picked it up and ran home to ask my Grandpa what this funny stuff was.), nor would they have had access to a vehicle to get to the local office. Equal access to voting was a fundamental value in the Republican household in which I grew up; this isn't partisan spouting.

That is from the lowest of the low, right there. And *some* Democrats think this is OK?

Totally NOT!

I fixed your above quote for you.

[ducky]

No, that's not the only reason. The concern really is simple. I understand the desire to ensure, with photo ID, the identity of the voter. It's also very easy to dismiss the barriers to getting an ID when you don't have a problem overcoming those barriers. But there are real barriers to a lot of people.

I want to note that just as people have accused Democrats of not wanting to exclude those who would tend to vote democratic, Republicans don't want minorities and poor people voting because it's less likely they would vote republican because they know republican policies tend to be bad for them. It goes both ways.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, it was found that in the ten states that require ID, 500,000 eligible voters need to go more than ten miles to a government center where they can get an ID. Not a big deal to those of us who drive and have a car; a bigger deal than those who don't. Additionally, the hours can be sporadic at best. The office in Sauk City, WI is only open four days this entire year (the fifth Weds of any month).

Then there is the whole cost thing. In theory IDs are free, but there's a cost to getting the documents needed if you don't have them on hand ($25 for a birth certificate, $20 for a marriage license if your name changed).

The bottom line to me is that having money and a car isn't required in order to vote, nor should it be. IMO, protecting our liberties (the right to vote) is the most important thing here.

Before anyone shoots off short-sighted thinking that I'm saying this as a Democrat, I thought this when I used to be a Republican, too. You see, my Republican parents both grew up very poor, a poor that's hard to understand today. My mother's family wouldn't have had the money to replace their documents and my father's family wouldn't have had the money because they *only* earned coal mining script (Funny aside, my uncle literally never saw US currency until he was 10 when some fell out of a soldier's pocket at the local bus stop. He picked it up and ran home to ask my Grandpa what this funny stuff was.), nor would they have had access to a vehicle to get to the local office. Equal access to voting was a fundamental value in the Republican household in which I grew up; this isn't partisan spouting.


I fixed your above quote for you.

It is really hard to imagine going through life without a picture ID for most of us. I agree you shouldn't have to have money or a car to vote, but then I think of how do you get registered to vote in the first place? You'd have to search out a form somewhere. If they somehow made it to a post office or government office to get a registration form, they could get to the DMV to get an ID. I looked up Sauk City, WI, and the only polling place listed was 726 Water Street, Sauk City, WI. If they wanted to vote in person, some people will have to no doubt travel more than 10 miles.

Can you get government assistance without showing ID?

[cw68]

It is really hard to imagine going through life without a picture ID for most of us. I agree you shouldn't have to have money or a car to vote, but then I think of how do you get registered to vote in the first place? You'd have to search out a form somewhere. If they somehow made it to a post office or government office to get a registration form, they could get to the DMV to get an ID. I looked up Sauk City, WI, and the only polling place listed was 726 Water Street, Sauk City, WI. If they wanted to vote in person, some people will have to no doubt travel more than 10 miles.

Can you get government assistance without showing ID?

It is hard to imagine. But I can image losing my ID. And losing the back-up documents (I lost my original birth certificate when my apartment's storage unit flooded).

[ducky]

It is hard to imagine. But I can image losing my ID. And losing the back-up documents (I lost my original birth certificate when my apartment's storage unit flooded).

Yeah, it happens. My husband had to get a copy of his birth certificate to get a passport. I think it cost something like 20 bucks. His mom wasn't the best recordkeeper.

[ducky]

Nobody here ever said there wouldn’t be any trouble getting an ID to vote. But anything worth doing, is worth one’s effort, in my book.

Yes, there can be many reasons why a person may not have a picture ID. Like, they never made it a priority to obtain one. They never wanted to vote in the past. They are unable to drive, so never got a drivers license, so do not have one.

But really, the importance of voting has to enter into this somewhere. Just what obligation does the government have to ensure a citizen the ways and means to obtain a voter ID?????

AND, out of all our population, what percent doesn’t have any ID at all? I doubt very many, these days. Probably a very small percentage.

To base an argument on it being so hard to get an ID, is not enough to build a case against having to have one to vote.

Sorry....I think some of you are making a big deal out of nothing.

I'm not saying people shouldn't make the effort to get an ID.
I'm just trying to think of ways to make it easier for some. For example, if you are elderly and live in a remote area but don't drive because of age, I think any fees to get a photo ID should be waived.

[cw68]

Nobody here ever said there wouldn’t be any trouble getting an ID to vote. But anything worth doing, is worth one’s effort, in my book.

Yes, there can be many reasons why a person may not have a picture ID. Like, they never made it a priority to obtain one. They never wanted to vote in the past. They are unable to drive, so never got a drivers license, so do not have one.

But really, the importance of voting has to enter into this somewhere. Just what obligation does the government have to ensure a citizen the ways and means to obtain a voter ID?????

AND, out of all our population, what percent doesn’t have any ID at all? I doubt very many, these days. Probably a very small percentage.

To base an argument on it being so hard to get an ID, is not enough to build a case against having to have one to vote.

Sorry....I think some of you are making a big deal out of nothing.

Should homeless people not have a right to vote?

The bottom line is the guarantee of our freedoms and liberty. Our Constitution is what sets us high and above other countries. The Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection clause states that ALL American citizens are entitled to the same rights and that no law can be made that denies someone a right or discriminates against a person or group of persons.

Requiring a photo ID denies plenty of people that right. I don't care if it's 1% of the people whom this affects. Those 1%er's right to vote is just as important as the other 99%'s.

This isn't above people being too lazy to get an ID.

[ducky]

Should homeless people not have a right to vote?

The bottom line is the guarantee of our freedoms and liberty. Our Constitution is what sets us high and above other countries. The Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection clause states that ALL American citizens are entitled to the same rights and that no law can be made that denies someone a right or discriminates against a person or group of persons.

Requiring a photo ID denies plenty of people that right. I don't care if it's 1% of the people whom this affects. Those 1%er's right to vote is just as important as the other 99%'s.

This isn't above people being too lazy to get an ID.

Yes, but there does need to be a way to prevent fraud. I've read that in some states a fixed place such as a shelter (if the shelter agrees) or a park can be used by the homeless as an address to register to vote. It doesn't need to be a mailing address. The homeless need to follow the same rules the rest of us do in voting. I'm only allowed to register using one address and am told where my polling place is. I also believe there are certain deadlines to register when you move in order to qualify to vote in an upcoming election. I can't just show up and vote anywhere, or two or three places for that matter. Now, whether or not the homeless can get a photo ID card with a park as an address, I don't know. If they can, I don't see the problem asking for it to be shown when voting.

[The Average Joe]

Dem groups often bus in folks to vote. If they are so concerned about "access" I suggest they take the inept to get their ID.

[cw68]

Dem groups often bus in folks to vote. If they are so concerned about "access" I suggest they take the inept to get their ID.

Inept? Wow. Yeah, my Grandparents weren't inept. They were hardworking, God fearing, family oriented people. Calling them inept is incorrect and not called for. Same with my family who still live in the hollers of West Virginia. Plenty of their neighbors are disadvantaged, perhaps, but inept? No.

Or do you mean they should only bus the lazy ones but the others are just screwed? Again, it's not a matter of being lazy. There are scores of home-ridden, poor, ill people for whom just getting, letting alone pay for, an ID is impractical. They still deserve their right to vote. You can think of them as scum, as inept, as whatever you want. They deserve their right to vote just as much as you do.

Ducky, getting an ID can be difficult with a street corner as an address, but it can work when registering to vote.

[cw68]

We can’t just have a free for all and not require anyone to give an ID to vote.
That would prove the voting process invalid. Polling places are designed to count the votes of that community. Having them all over would defeat that purpose.

If there are those who have no cars in which to get to the polls, how do they shop for food, get to the doctor, dentist the post office? Guess what? There is public transportation!

Years ago, I went with a neighbor to vote in the city which she was registered. It was in Marysville and I was too young at that time to vote. But I went to keep her company on the long drive to and from. She was willing to make the effort, even though it was a bit of trouble and took more time. I’m sure people have friends, relatives and neighbors who are willing to help them vote, if asked.

And the homeless voters can leave an address from a homeless shelter or relatives address. I see no reason to get all puffed up and angry over a law which requires an ID to vote.

I support the idea.

The voting process in the forty states in which you don't have to provide an ID is not invalid. Voting is a right, not a privilege.

So do you think every vote should have an assiciated ID to count? What about those mailed in? What about our armed services that mail in their votes? How do you deal with that?

[EDF]

Should homeless people not have a right to vote?

The bottom line is the guarantee of our freedoms and liberty. Our Constitution is what sets us high and above other countries. The Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection clause states that ALL American citizens are entitled to the same rights and that no law can be made that denies someone a right or discriminates against a person or group of persons.

Requiring a photo ID denies plenty of people that right. I don't care if it's 1% of the people whom this affects. Those 1%er's right to vote is just as important as the other 99%'s.

This isn't above people being too lazy to get an ID.

You know you are so out of it...

yea we have freedom.. but we also have responsibility as a "citizen"...

so some homeless scum bag sleeping off a binge from the night before doesn't have any ID should be handed a ballot... probably with some nice SEIU thug pointing to which box to make the "x"...?

They may have the freedoms but it's folks like you that want to "excuse" their behavior that makes them a "burden" on the rest of us... you my dear are part of the problem...

Love you tho...

Get back to me...

The voting process in the forty states in which you don't have to provide an ID is not invalid. Voting is a right, not a privilege.

So do you think every vote should have an assiciated ID to count? What about those mailed in? What about our armed services that mail in their votes? How do you deal with that?

They should have to go down to the county voting office and sign a document that says they will be out of town during the election ahead of time...

That doesn't deter their rights does it...? sure makes it easier to keep track of those "absentee" ballots... you know the ones the stinking illegal aliens use to vote themselves benefits...