A Very Good Idea
Monday, March 28th, 2005Indiana has proposed the strictest voter ID law ever, and Democrats are, of course, crying loud and long over it.
Democrats are so vehemently opposed to a controversial voter ID bill they have even proposed that voters should copy Iraq elections by dipping their finger in ink to prove they only voted once.
Like every other change proposed, Republicans rejected the ink idea and said a government-issued photo ID is the best way to prevent fraud in future elections.
Gov. Mitch Daniels said Friday he plans to sign the bill authored by a Porter County legislator, putting in place the nation’s strictest voter identification requirement for the 2006 elections.
“I’m in favor of any bill that ensures no one’s vote is stolen by another’s fraud,” he said.
Senate Bill 483 passed in a 52-45 party-line vote last Monday, while another bill to tighten restrictions on absentee voting, which unlike poll votes has been plagued by documented fraud, advanced with bipartisan support.
Lake County Democrats said the GOP’s refusal to compromise on a bill that doesn’t address the real problem proves their intention is to raise hurdles to voting and depress turnout. They believe some low-income Hoosiers, minorities and elderly people who don’t drive will lose the right to vote because they don’t regularly use photo ID’s.
I find it hard to fathom why Democrats are so opposed to measures which make perfect sense. Requiring a photo ID from each person who shows up to vote on election day is the one way to wipe out the vast majority of voter fraud. Sure, it may be hassle to get your photo ID if you can’t drive, but I think that the hassle is well worth the result, which is a substantial increase in the public’s confidence in the results of the election.
I think that the requirement of a photo ID to vote should be a national requirement. If the Democrats don’t think that minorities should have to prove who they are in order to vote, then they are the ones with the problem. I think that minorities won’t mind in the least, as long as everyone is required to do it and voter fraud is reduced.
Of course, it didn’t take long for Democrats to play the race card:
Several Democrats said the voter ID bill was part of a GOP political agenda to squeeze out dissent and gain permanent power while they have control of both legislative chambers and the governor’s office for the first time in 20 years.
They pointed to the voter ID bill, a constitutional ban on gay marriage and an inspector general bill they called a power grab for the governor as examples of legislating spite.
“This session has turned into pure hatred,” said Rep. Dan Stevenson, D-Highland. “They’re out to punish those who are against them.”
It must be hell to wake up every morning with nothing other to do than to look for things which, according to your own perverse sense of dignity, offend you or shows that everyone hates you.
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March 30th, 2005 at 2:46 pm
People who don’t drive can get photo IDs from the DMV for a nominal fee, and many do so that they can write checks or use credit cards.