Picture ID to vote isn't repressive

On first blush, the notion of people being forced to present picture ID at the polls sounds like "a small step backward for mankind." It calls to mind the ugly history of poll taxes, which some people could not pay, and poll questions, which some people could not answer.

In the past, poll antics have been used to keep those from voting who might change the status quo. They have been weapons of exclusion, not inclusion.

But the Indiana state law — now being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court — does appear to be a way to cut down on voter fraud without causing undo grief. Opponents see it as a thinly veiled attempt to discourage the elderly, poor and minority voters. And they make the valid point that fraud at the polls has not been a big problem.

But we see this as an "ounce of prevention" issue. As voters and voting machines become more sophisticated, common sense says that there are those who will look for ways to game the system. The country, in fact, has a history of that. Jokes were often made in Chicago during the era of the Daly Machine about his constituents "voting early and voting often." And stories of candidates recruiting voters from cemetery grave markers are more than mere urban folklore.

In short, we side with Justice Anthony Kennedy. The photo ID requirement might pose an inconvenience and may even end up disenfranchising a few people. But the peace of mind of having a more honest and legitimate election because of it outweighs the negatives. Besides, given the ubiquitous nature of the media today, all it would take is for one would-be voter crying foul to bring down the Kleig lights on a hapless voting district.

Voting, in America especially, is almost a sacred rite — and a sacred right. And citizens get understandably antsy when bureaucrats start tinkering with it. But every right — from owning guns to speaking one's mind — has parameters. The vital concern is that those parameters don't quash the very freedoms they claim to protect.

We don't believe an "ID law" for the polls undermines democracy.

In time, as technology continues to leap ahead, we even may be thankful there are checkpoints to keep the wheels of democracy not only spinning smoothly, but spinning fairly.