This morning I took part in a sacred civic obligation: I voted. The casting of one’s ballot is a truly egalitarian American experience — everyone has an equal say in how they will be represented in matters of governance. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, religious or not, a Mayflower descendant or a newly sworn-in U.S. citizen.We used to show a driver's license when we voted to demonstrate that we were in fact the person named and living at the address shown on the voter roles. Not anymore. I could go down and vote under my daughter's name if I wanted to and they would be powerless to stop me.
But in Maryland, my rights were infringed upon when my identity as a legal voter was rendered insignificant. Nobody asked me for identification, nor was anyone obliged to do so. As a result of this inaction, voter fraud will not only be tolerated but is rendered likely.
Maryland is one of 23 states that maintain the most minimal standards for voter identification, only requiring that you show ID (photo not required) when you register, and never again after that. This allows anyone who knows your full name and polling location to vote in your place with no recourse.
Liberals led by the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, and the NAACP contend that voter-ID requirements are designed to suppress minority and Democratic votes, but that has been proven wrong time and time again. In 2008, Georgia and Indiana, two states where identification is required to vote without a provisional ballot, saw historically high turnout among African-Americans and Democrats. In Indiana, where voter-ID laws are strictest, Democratic turnout increased by over 8 percent in 2008 over 2004; this was the largest increase in the nation. Georgia’s voter-ID requirements got stricter between 2004 and 2008, but African-American turnout increased. And when compared to other states with similar populations but less strict voter laws, the argument that the turnout would have been even higher without the enforcement is laid to rest.
A Rasmussen poll in August 2010 found that a full 82 percent of Americans believe all voters should show photo ID before they are allowed to vote, representing a majority in every single demographic group. This is not a fringe opinion, but a national consensus.
You just know the door is wide open for fraud and come November many legal voters will have their votes effectively cancelled by fraud.
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1 comment:
Just a comment, and before I continue, let me say that I have mixed feelings about this all.
For years, ending in 1989 I and my wife operated a polling place in our garage in Santa Clara County.
There the rule (law?) was in those days was that the staff of the polling place (a judge, a something else--my mind went blank, and two or more clerks--all sworn).
All (or at least most)of us were supposed to be from the neighborhood comprising the precinct(s) assigned to the polling place and we, plus "poll watchers" representing parties, and ordinary voters who happened to be in the polling place could challenge people who we believe did not live in the precinct.
My misgivings have to do with the fact that lawsuits and other actions had made it almost impossible to get people off the roster that did not belong there.
I don't see how an ID card would help.
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