Why require ID's? I don't think anyone would lie, do you? Might as well do away with passports also. Just let everyone in and let them vote.

I keep reading that this photo ID issue is about one party or the other trying to gain advantage over the election process. Isn't that short sighted? Shouldn't the purpose, goal, desire of "we the people" be that we have fair, legal, clean elections with unqualified results?

Why is it so many Americans seem to be missing the forest for the trees these days?????

Rep Sheila Jackson-Lee D-TX, being one of Texas brightest shining stars "wink-wink", was able to spin the facts like a good politician.

There may only be 5 cases, actually more, but her statement leaves out the fact that there is a lot more than that going on. In reality the state does not prosecute these cases because they are too hard to prove.
I "read" that as they don't want to spend the time and money, or lazy as I see it.
5 cases maybe on the books but far more actually happening. Just one case can include hundreds of votes, so is that one case or hundreds.

She is just being the good Obama follower like she always does.
Why don't you go back and quote some of her other interviews that would make you think twice about using her as an authority on anything.

Ya ll know how I hate to agree with Richie, but voter fraud is wrong and even one non- citizen vote is terrible. Voter verification or bust.

Why is it that Republican's aren't worried about voter disenfranchisement with toughened up voter I.D. regulations?

Is it just that Republican voters are smart enough to acquire these I.D.'s, and Democrats don't have faith in Democrat voters to be able to acquire them?

I renewed my license at no cost, and one visit to the DMV office for about an hour, or less ! Got all the information I needed in paper to be frank with you. Sorry you had such terrible problems !

Arizona was mentioned because as I said in my first post and needed to do some reading. When I began, first thing I read was about our Justice dept telling Texas what to do (States rights just don't seem to exist any longer)...and it ran into an article on Arizona. If I confused you, my bad.

Frankly, I could care less HOW MANY CASE have been reported because ONE case ticks me off since there should be no reason for voter fraud OR intimidation.

On Sheila Jackson, I will make no comment as whatever I say about her you will not like.

This to me is a no-brainer.....this country has just gone down the drain. I am for protecting our liberties and not cheapening our country any more than it is already been cheapened.

Couldn't agree with you more. Sort of like living in The Villages. They tell you "Don't worry, be happy", and the next thing you know your house is sitting 20 feet down in a sinkhole and your dog has been eaten by a coyote.

i agree...the voter reg/photo i.d. door swings both ways...and beyond that - why would any honest person not want or would mind having a photo i.d.?

It is a really crazy argument. You need to show the proper I.D. for so many things.

The only reason I can see to try to block the checking of I.D.'s in the voting process would be for the purposes of facilitating fraud.

What other reason can there be?

Only five voter fraud cases a year? Ok.

And there are only a few perjury cases per year - and we KNOW that nobody lies on the stand (I always wondered why a convicted murderer wouldn't be later charged with perjury if he, say, lied about an alibi or something that was later proven false).

Voter ID
 

15 years ago, when my mother was 73 years of age, she went to the courthouse and got a photo ID, just so she could vote! If she could do it, others can as well - don't fool yourself.

To me, this smells of voter fraud and political manipulation.

True, but I think some folks are too lazy to bother, and if that is the case, I don't want them voting

15 years ago, 9-11 hadn't happened yet. It's a little more complicated now. A friend's birth certificate had the first and middle name switched. It was never a problem until after 9-11 and that person decided to get a Florida Drivers License. Long story shortened, it took nearly a year of trying to rectify the problem even though this person had titles, deeds, licenses, degrees, etc. with their name in the correct order. The solution was to petition the court for a name change. Nearly $500 was the cost.

However, perhaps those who are trying to change all of the requirements just before a National Election would like to facilitate removing some of the hurtles to the acquisition of an ID. Convenient locations, associates to assist them, transportation if that is a hindrance, etc.

Since, according to many, this has been a problem for decades (I don't personally see the problem), better yet, forget all that stuff, maybe a two to four year lead-time could be written into the laws - effective in November of 2014, 2015 or 2016. This would require compromise and working together. What's the hurry, do it right. I'm sure all reasonable citizens would find that a perfect solution. After all, everyone is concerned about voter fraud, aren't we? We all want eligible people to vote, don't we? Or does this make too much sense?

Xavier

Xavier: in all due respect how many of those confusing circumstances that you cite exist except on occassion for those legimate citizens. As to "what's the hurry", the fact is this issue has been going on for a long long time.

I am always curious as to why some folks seem not to be in a hurry to ensure we have a fair, clean legal and observable voting process?

Please the Democrats have a very poor and transparent argument. As a citizen of these united States I am not interested in have foreigners sselect my leaders.

Thanks for a thoughtful response.

First, I think this thread was the result of the FEDERAL government telling a STATE government not to require it, HOWEVER, your post sent me to do some research.

According to Wikipedia, the first law passed relative to this was in 2003 and there are now 30 states that have it. The Obama administration has blocked these STATE laws in 2 states....Texas most recently and before that South Carolina. It was done under the civil rights law...citing that in Texas "the state had failed to meet its requirement, under the Voting Rights Act, to show that the measure would not disproportionately disenfranchise registered minority voters."

Further "“Even using the data most favorable to the state, Hispanics disproportionately lack either a driver’s license or a personal identification card,” Mr. Perez wrote, “and that disparity is statistically significant.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/us...to-id-law.html

It seems the Voters Rights Act..."jurisdictions that have a history of suppressing minority voting — like Texas — must show that any proposed change to voting rules would not have a disproportionate effect on minority voters, even if there is no evidence of discriminatory intent. "

Texas offered to give FREE ID cards, but the FEDERAL government ruled that was not enough. The government did NOT step in with the other 30 states..only these two and they get to make the call on whether you have the alleged past.

These actions are at the top of the NAACP and other organizations, so this is a bit more than simply what we are discussing here. It seems to me to simply add to the class and race warfare that exists today.