Voter Photo ID -- Is It Really Terrible?

[earthJoker]

Registering is mandatory here, so everyone legally living in the country with Swiss citizenship will get the card.

A ID cost here around US$ 50 (for 10 years) I think thats a value that everyone can afford.

[Dreadnaught]

Is it a terrible thing? No. Is it a waste of resources, attempting to fight a very small and largely irrelevant problems? Yes. Is it potentially problematic for a subset of legitimate current voters? Yes, that can almost be taken as a given for any additional requirements on anything. Are people taking positions on it for partisan reasons? Again yes, though those reasons should not be considered necessarily exclusive.

If we really wanted to combat voter fraud via id, while not disenfranchising any legitimate voters, then we should grant everyone in the country citizenship for the duration of a fairly extended implementation period, work WITH the public to get everyone their ids during that implementation period, and then move forward.

Problem solving isn't just about problem solving, but about preventing problems. The validation processes in many states is shot to hell. The bar for proving voter eligibility is a bit shallow. Simply showing a utility bill is a pretty low standard (and I've never even had to do that, authorities in several states have just taken me at my word that I'm a US citizen).

What irks me is the idea that this is a partisan conspiracy to suppress minority voters. The idea that minorities are somehow uniquely unable to procure identification is almost offensive. And yes, I would support waiving processing costs for basic state ID cards. That should be part of voter ID legislation. But I think it's simply not constructive for outlets like the NYTimes to rant and scream "racism" at the idea of needing photo ID to vote.

[Ominous Gamer]

The idea that minorities are somehow uniquely unable to procure identification is almost offensive.

Its not solely assuming minorities based on color, but several factors that favor heavily against minorities.

Here is some research for you (pdf), since you have this thing against the NYTimes having an opinion on it. That shows how the citizens likely to vote democratic are most likely to be negatively impacted by increased restrictions on voter ID laws.

So instead of crying about it being offensive, how about some numbers?

And yes, I would support waiving processing costs for basic state ID cards.

Even if this is the case, which (as shown earlier) the states try to get around, there are still hurdles and fees in trying to get the correct paperwork in order to get a state ID.