Comments about ‘Letter: Photo ID law can deny citizens' constitutional right to vote’

I agree.

I don't need ID to vote by mail, why do I need one to vote in person. The vote by mail has a much higher chance for fraud. Maybe we need to do away this and tell troops and missionaries they cannot vote.

Requiring ID is nothing short of a poll tax. I paid $25 for my Drivers License, which is generally good for one presidential election. If it's required, I must pay $25 to vote for President. If the State is serious about voter fraud, they should give free voter ID's.

Don Buddy, nearly anyone can get a Utah State ID. I don't know anyone that doesn't have a drivers license. I guess that you are not to worried about non-citizens, who by the way are not entitled to vote, voting. The right to vote only applies to U.S. citizens. Not every Tom, Dick, or Harry that sneaks across the border or stays over when their visa expires. Getting proper Id doesn't hamper anyone. Those that don't have ID usually don't vote anyway.

If these people really want to vote they will get the proper credentials to make it happen. Can they cash their welfare checks without ID? I dont think many banks are going for that.Erick Folder is against voting ID but you cant get in the AGs office without photo ID. What really is at play here is the DEMS are against this because they are the main suspects in voter fraud.

@mohokat

Then why can I vote by mail without an ID? How is this not a poll tax?

Voting districts should be small enough that the election judge can know everyone and thus eliminate fraud. This really is the only sure way. Make a voting precinct a street or two, or an apartment complex. This will make polling closer to home, less lines, and more votes. Or is this too much $$ and it easier to deny citizens their right to vote.

If I am to be denied a right, the burden of proof is on the government, not me. Cashing a check is not a right, buying alcohol is not a right, driving is not a right. Voting is a right.

I don't need ID to sign a petition (a right) I don't need ID to worship (a right) or peacefully protest (a right) why is voting any different?

If a citizen wants to vote, legal ID is not difficult to get. There are lots of disabled people who can't drive and who still have legal photo ID. Given modern technology, legal ID is easy and a simple way to prevent voter fraud. I can't understand why anyone would be opposed to it unless they are in favor of voter fraud.

@JSB

Easy to get, yes. Free? No. How is this not a violation of ammendment 24?

Healthcare seems to be unconstitutional to some, but a poll tax? Perfectly legal.

Also why can I vote by mail without ID and not in person?

mohokat claims "What really is at play here is the DEMS are against this because they are the main suspects in voter fraud."
Would you mind citing the cases of voter fraud you are talking about?

The DEMS are rightfully concerned at Pennsyvania's new law which House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R) said "is going to allow governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania". The new law could keep 750,000 eligible voters away, and address the "problem" of zero voter fraud cases in the last 8 years. Or maybe you think the DEMS are behind the "rampant" voter fraud in Maine which reports 2 cases of voter fraud in the last 38 years.

I generally agree with having to provide some form of ID to verify that you are entitled to vote. However, I think that the state governments requiring this should also provide a free form of state ID for those who don't have a drivers license and cannot afford to pay for an ID. Perhaps a limited form of ID specifically for voting.

Voter fraud may not be a "widespread" problem, but when a national election comes down to a few hundred votes in one state it doesn't take a widespread problem to allow fraudulent votes to decide the entire election.

I don't want to see anyone who has a legitimate right to vote barred from doing so, but I also don't want people who shouldn't vote doing so.

Don't we have many more larger issues?

This whole "voting fraud" issue just came out of no where.

Has this really become a problem? If so, then I understand the debate erupting right now.

But since I haven't read that this has ever been a problem, I definitely question the GOP's motives. It certainly looks as if they're trying to steal the election from Obama.

Are they really that insecure about Romney that they have to resort to these kinds of tactics? Just how desperate are these folks to get back into power?

Re: "I think the Republicans know many citizens are poor and don't have the means or the way to get a government ID and most of these citizens would vote Democratic."

Yeah? Then produce one of these supposed too-poor-to-vote Democrats. I know a lot of really poor people. I don't know a single one that doesn't have a picture ID.

There is no actual reason to oppose voter ID, other than to enable cheating.

Liberal attempts to whitewash their cheating schemes all involve inviting us to accompany them on a maudlin retreat into some grinding, poverty-stricken, third-world America.

But that America simply does not exist.

There are no poor who will be disenfranchised by voter ID laws.

But, there are plenty of liberal cheats who will be discomfited in their plans to work political mischief.

That's the real source of liberal opposition to voter ID.

Who cares if a photo ID is easy to obtain, or difficult to obtain. That's irrelevant. ANY requirement that has the effect of limiting citizens' ability to vote is unconstitutional.
What problem are these requirements intended to solve? Voter fraud isn't a problem. I know that Republicans would LIKE voter fraud to be a problem, because they'd like a reason to prevent poor people from voting. But since it isn't actually a problem, why bother?

How about a compromise? You must have a photo ID to vote AND pay taxes.
No ID? No obligation to pay taxes.

Re: "Voter fraud isn't a problem."

Not for liberals, it isn't. It's a tactic they've wholeheartedly embraced, to win an election they should lose.

Why else would they devote so much time, effort, money, and political credibility to a political position that makes no sense whatever?

They can't actually expect normal people to believe they're fighting so hard against voter ID because they expect to win this election on the strength of Americans who are too poor to afford an ID?

For liberals, their big problem is that too many real people see through their looking-out-for-the-little-guy charade and appreciate the very real danger posed by leaving open an electoral loophole large enough for A.C.O.R.N. and other unscrupulous leftist political hacks to drive a truck through.

Darrel, You're right. Legal ID for those who can't drive should be free. But, it is so easy to engage in voter fraud that having some form of photo ID is still a good idea.

@JSB

Even if it means denying an otherwise fully entitled citizen their right to vote? What is worse denying a citizen a Constitutional Right without due process, or allowing a few votes that should not have been cast otherwise?

What of not needing ID to vote by mail?

The best solution is the one I have outlined, and then no one is denied the right to vote: Voting districts should be small enough that the election judge can know everyone and thus eliminate fraud. This really is the only sure way. Make a voting precinct a street or two, or an apartment complex. This will make polling closer to home, less lines, and more votes.

@procuradorfiscal
"Why else would they devote so much time, effort, money, and political credibility to a political position that makes no sense whatever?"

The Republican position makes no sense. Pennsylvania has had 0 cases of voter fraud in at least a decade but apparently they need to disinfranchise almost a million people? Actually it makes a lot of sense, black and Hispanic voters are disproportionately impacted and the Republicans can't be bothered to win a legitimate election so the next best thing is to eliminate opposition voters.

In case you all forgot, we have a right to vote. After all, aren't you all the same people who want 0 regulation when it comes to gun control because of the second amendment? Why do you suddenly care about regulation now for a problem that practically doesn't even exist?

Who would tell us that unidentidied people should vote? Why do Democrats want to allow unidentified people to have the "right"to to vote?

We have to have photo ID to use a check to buy groceries. How mant Denocrats picket grocery stores.

The simple truth ia that Democrats know that they can only win if they cheat.

Requiring photo ID should affect ALL parties equally. Only the liberals want to let undocumented people to vote.

"if there was rampant fraud, we would have heard about it in the newspapers" or at least on the internet. TeeHee

How did Bush go about the election in Iraq? Just fingers and ink.

Conservatives refuse to require paper hard copies with electronic voting machines. It's been demontrated that electronic voting machines can be hacked at any point in their lifetime flipping thousands to millions of votes. Yet republicans arn't concerned about that in the slightest.

Exit polls didn't match in 2004 in many areas with electronic voting machines.

I'm calling for an international election watch.