Editorial: Voter ID laws are a solution in search of a problem
Publisher’s note: This editorial is from the Feb. 15, 2015, Las Vegas Sun.
As the state’s top election official, Barbara Cegavske, Nevada’s newly elected secretary of state, supports a proposal that would require voters to show identification at the polls. Republicans in the Legislature also support the plan.
At first glance, it sounds smart. People should show some sort of proof of who they are before they vote, shouldn’t they?
But ask a few questions about the proposed voter ID law, and you’ll see another side of the issue.
What problem does this fix?
That is a question proponents of voter ID laws have a difficult time answering.
I still don’t get why, here in this day and age, a person needs an ID to do ANYTHING; board a plane, drive a car, RENT a car or a hotel room, buy a bottle of wine, buy decongestants, just about everything.
Yet the left is SO bloody hysterically upset that people should show ID to vote? Something y’all claim is so vitally important to the well-being of the country, yet you act like proving eligibility is some sort of human rights violation!
Methinks thou dost protest too much.
Dogula, The voter ID issue does bother me. I don’t think it’s a good idea. Some thngs requiring ID are good. Purchasing a firearm, driving a car, taking out a loan to build a house or to buy a new car.
Somethings tho I feel are unwarranted. Being asked to show ID just for walking around your neighborhood when the polce ask for it,”Hey, I’m just going for a walk, I live in that house right over there!”,
Even just being out and about without an ID is a crime!
Being asked to give out the last four numbers of your social security by your bank so as to verfy your balance. Constantly being on the watch for identity theft so all your assets are’nt swiped away by a few strokes on the keyboard by some thief.
Scary times. Big Brother is here! OLS
And Dogula? Please don’t call me a libertarian. That was really disturbing the last time you did that. LOL
Hah! I was just funnin’ with you, OLS. Don’t worry, I know you’re not! ;-)
I agree that our ID is demanded FAR too often. But for some things, it does make sense. Like voting. IMHO. I mean, if you don’t want to show your ID, you don’t HAVE to vote. It’s pretty much a waste of time anyhow.
You must produce ID and be submitted to an FBI background check to buy a gun (a right protected by the US Constitution).
Why not apply the same policy to voting (a right protected by the US Constitution)?
If you don’t, eliminate the policy for guns.
I see 2 issues which are trying to be solved.
The first is preventing people from voting who don’t have that right while at the same time ensuring that you can vote if you have that right.
The second is preventing votes from being manipulated though the same person voting multiple times or someone voting for a person (dead or alive) who didn’t vote themselves.
I see no problem requiring an I.D. to vote. Nothing wrong with making sure a person is, who they say they are.
As far as elders and minorities not carrying ID, that’s baloney. Everyone should carry ID all the time. What happens if you have a medical emergency and are passed out?
Everyone should carry some form of picture ID.
Of course in voting, it may not mean anything anymore, since the Republicans passed the bill that allows anyone, any company to spend as much on an election as they wish, actually buying candidates. You have heard of the Koch brothers, right ? They are looking to spend $875 million of their own money on the up coming Presidential election.
Hmmmm. I wonder how much the unions spend on Democrat candidates?
The issue with requiring an ID to vote in many states that do not issue free ID is the fact that technically the Constitution bans a voting tax, and therfore having to pay for a state ID is a defacto voting tax.
‘Hmmmm. I wonder how much the unions spend on Democrat candidates?’
Yet you have no problem with unlimited donations from corporations.
Duke: That is a red herring paired up with a wild assumption.
All the things you mention (gun, renting a car etc) are privileges. Voting is a right that cannot be abridged. We all may live in a little bubble world where everyone has their birth certificate and/or their security card, but that is not true for many poor people in this country. In Texas, you are required to have IDs that are issued only at specific offices. So, imagine you have a minimum wage job. You get to take a day off from work, find someone to drive you (can be as much as 200 miles), have the specific docs they allow and that they accept as real. This to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. These laws are meant to suppress poor, elderly and minority voters and the Republican Party not only knows this,but has admitted it in public. This from the Sec. of State in Pennsylvania ”
Mike Turzai, the Pennsylvania GOP House majority leader, said that a strict new voter ID law will help Republicans win the state for the first time since 1988.
“Pro-Second Amendment? The Castle Doctrine, it’s done. First pro-life legislation — abortion facility regulations — in 22 years, done. Voter ID, which is going to allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania, done,” he said to applause at a Republican State Committee this weekend”.
“The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.”
– Joseph Stalin
?!? Your Stalin quote is cute but not relevant. No one (including the Republicans) have identified any significant amount of voter fraud. In fact voter fraud has been found to be minimal. But credible analysis has found that numerous conservative states with their voter ID laws have in fact disenfranchised legitimate voters. Surprise surprise these voters mostly vote democrat and are disproportionately people of color, the elderly and the young. So, the Republicans simply found ways to make sure they did not have to count the vote at all.
Rick
Rick, my Stalin quote was intended to be sarcastic. I know there is not a significant amount of voter fraud, but I wouldn’t be opposed to requiring ID to vote, because it could help prevent voter fraud in the future, and reduce what we have now. You can’t have too much honesty, and you have t think ahead.
Don’t most honest people oppose voter fraud? So why is an ID required to vote? Try millions illegally in the country and felons and dead people voting. An ID to vote should be the minimum requirement. How many people in this country really don’t have and don’t carry a personal ID? It is used for many things from check cashing to DMV. Maybe a few thousand don’t, yet the liberals try to say an ID is somehow a demand that is illegal, it isn’t and if the person trying to vote can’t prove they are legally in the country and legally eligible to vote, then they shouldn’t vote, it is that simple.
Justice, since the year 2000 over a billion votes have been cast in elections in the US. From then to now there have been only 31 cases of proven voter fraud.
Wrong again big fella!
PS: Let’s see if you can reply respectfully. Good luck!
Picture, Simple common sense is not for you obviously if you can’t support ID to vote to prevent fraud.
If you are “turning over a new leaf” from your past behavior, fine announce it and why you were wrong to attack others and not respond to the facts. If you think people forgot, you are wrong.
Justice, once again you insert your opinion as fact, with NOTHING to back it up.
I’m not exactly sure what you meant about me “turning over a new leaf”.
But I SINCERELY thank you for replying to me sans any disrespect.
Justice inserts fact as his opinion, with lots of evidence to back it up. Biggerpicture, it was perfectly obvious to me what Justice meant by “turning over a new leaf.”
Biggerpicture, once again, you insert your opinion as fact, while providing nothing to back it up.
?!?, then please enlighten me to the meaning of that statement concerning me turning over a new leaf, and prove it by pasting past comments I have made with a tone of disrespect. And in my original reply to Justice (?!? and Justice one and the same?) I used facts, did I not? Feel free to fact check my statement.
“Don’t most honest people oppose voter fraud? So why is an ID required to vote? Try millions illegally in the country and felons and dead people voting. An ID to vote should be the minimum requirement. How many people in this country really don’t have and don’t carry a personal ID? It is used for many things from check cashing to DMV. Maybe a few thousand don’t, yet the liberals try to say an ID is somehow a demand that is illegal, it isn’t and if the person trying to vote can’t prove they are legally in the country and legally eligible to vote, then they shouldn’t vote, it is that simple.”
“Picture, Simple common sense is not for you obviously if you can’t support ID to vote to prevent fraud.”
?!?, please show us where any facts, as opposed to simple opinion, lay in the above statements.
Bigger: The proof is a novel and amazing concept with which you are probably not very familiar. It’s called common sense.
Who wouldn’t want to ensure that there is no voter fraud? What is the big deal? This can only help.
“since the year 2000 over a billion votes have been cast in elections in the US. From then to now there have been only 31 cases of proven voter fraud.” Probably because voters don’t need and ID, so it is difficult to prove that someone is committing fraud. Besides, even if this statistic is true, requiring ID to vote could reduce current voter fraud and help prevent it from becoming a problem in the future.
You can’t have too much honesty! You’re a fool if you argue with that!
“(?!? and Justice one and the same?)” Umm, I don’t know how you draw that conclusion. Could you please clarify for us, Justice? Nature, Bigger, Hmmm, Rock, and Duke one and the same? Maybe we should require ID to comment on this site too! LOL!
“Justice inserts fact as his opinion, with lots of evidence to back it up.”
No, they parrot hyperbolic hyper-partisan talking points that lack any supporting evidence.
“That is a red herring paired up with a wild assumption.”
You are using things I said previously improperly. I was pointing out their inconsistency. Their statement was a red herring.
“they parrot hyperbolic hyper-partisan talking points that lack any supporting evidence.” What a perfect description of yourself.
“You are using things I said previously improperly.” I used what you said improperly or you said something improperly? This is a big grammatical no no, because it leads to uncertainties like this one. Did you ever hear about the case where the placement of a comma decided millions of dollars? Be careful.
red her·ring
noun
1.
a dried smoked herring, which is turned red by the smoke.
2.
something, especially a clue, that is or is intended to be misleading or distracting.
Assuming you are talking about the latter definition, then accusing someone of throwing a red herring means that you have judged their intention in writing what they wrote. I’m not quite sure how you do this on an online forum… But if you’re sure…
Somehow, you don’t seem to understand that pointing out flaws in what people write does not prove anything other than the fact that you are incapable of carrying out a logical discussion on the topic. Yes, someone might put contradictions on this blog, but it doesn’t mean that their point is invalid.
?!?, once again you answer with nothing more than opinionated rhetoric.
Peace out!
Biggerpicture: I would appreciate it if you would make your lies more discreet. I used clear logic and common sense the my last post, but it seems you aren’t familiar enough with that idea to recognize it when you see it.
When you’ve been beat, be a good sport and admit it. Arguing on is feudal and only demonstrates your lack of knowledge.
BTW, I somehow recall that this article was about ID and voting. You have been directly asked why you think it is wrong to require ID to vote, and have failed to tell me. Please stop diverting the subject to avoid talking about the main issue, it’s counter-productive.
“Peace out” In other words, ignore the fact that I am blatantly wrong and attacking what is right. OK. Cheers!
“Arguing on is feudal”???
“I do not think it means what you think it means”
Inigo Montoya
It is my observation that these blog comments have been between dogface girl and some idiot called ?!? Pretty funny how their rhetoric is the same and it leaves me to believe they are one and the same. You cant cure stoopid!
Edit: Nature, Bigger, Hmmm, Haddi T. Uptahere, Rock, and Duke one and the same?
“Arguing on is feudal” Yes it is feudal to continue defending a defenseless point, I know your mind has a hard time wrapping itself around that concept. Will Liberals ever learn when to stop?
“I do not think it means what you think it means” Who the heck are you quoting here?
“Inigo Montoya” This guy is a character in a novel, I believe. Cute, but completely irrelevant.
“It is my observation that these blog comments have been between dogface girl and some idiot called ?!? ” Thank you. I’m not exactly sure what you’re trying to say here, I don’t think I wrote a single comment to addressed to Dogula.
“It is my observation” Uh oh, Nature’s observation. Time for a nap…
“Pretty funny how their rhetoric is the same and it leaves me to believe they are one and the same”
rhet·o·ric
ˈredərik/
noun
the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.
synonyms: oratory, eloquence, command of language, way with words
“a form of rhetoric”
Based on the definition of rhetoric, you’re complimenting me and Dog. Thanks!
One and the same? Could you check up on this for us, Kae?
“You cant cure stooped!” You can’t cure bad English and spelling either!
“What a perfect description of yourself.”
Cite some example of something hyper-partisan I have written.
We exist in different realities. Yours has been distorted by Angry Sky Man doctrine and remedial education.
Yes, im pretty sure you can cure poor grammar and bad spelling, its called education, in your case probably grammar and spelling check….
Carry on… Somehow I recall that we were talking about voter ID…
Nature: This website has spelling and grammar check so you really have no excuse. If you are accusing me of incorrect spelling and grammar, you’re obviously a hypocrite.
“We exist in different realities. Yours has been distorted by Angry Sky Man doctrine and remedial education”
Yours is not a reality. You need to examine the facts, then check to see whether your almighty scientists and politicians are really correct. If you think you’re going to change anyone’s mind, your wrong.
?!? Gotta get the last word…I dont bother with the spell check feature cuz I really dont care whether you think eye can spell or knot…
okey dokey. If you really don’t care what you sound like, I guess that isn’t my business. What was this article about again???
It’s futile not feudal. The quote was from “The Princess Bride” and I am no one else.
Huked on Foniks mite werk 4 U. :-)
Damn. Thanks for catching that. feudal refers to the medieval system of government. I always thought they were kinda similar though.
I still don’t understand the relevancy of the quote.
Glad to here that you are no one else. Maybe we don’t need ID to comment on this site.
The hooked on phonics app is for like, 1st graders.
How to you get emoji in your posts? It never works for me.
@?!?….nope.
?!?, you’ve dug a hole so deep trying to backtrack on your own statements and misuse of a word that you should be in China by now! Fact.
And yet you put the blame on anyone calling you out. Fact.
Typical. Totally a fact!
Hmmm, “Nope” isn’t a very intelligent answer. It could mean about a thousand things. You’d better clarify before someone just “decides” what you meant.
Bigger: I am not trying to backtrack on my statements. I used the incorrect word, and I have no problem admitting I was wrong, unlike some we know…
Declaring something to be fact doesn’t necessarily mean it is fact.
Does everyone want to just end this futile discussion?
Edit: Just figured out the emoji.
@?!?,
Have to see the movie. Character keeps saying “inconceivable” and the things he is saying it about keep happening. Mandy Patinkin’s character Inigo Montoya(“you killed my father now prepare to die!”) says it right after Andre the Giant’s character says “He keeps using that word.” Watch it. Comedy Classic.