Voter ID Law Opposed... Why Again?

I think all that link you posted shows is that Ohio caught the dumbest of the dumb; for example people who registered in Ohio and another state but voted in both. How thorough was the investigation? What about people who registered fraudulently, but were smart enough to only vote once? And who on this site buys that in a bureaucracy that involved 5.3 MILLION people that there were only 135 voting discrepancies? This IS government we're talking about, right? I've got to imagine that they make more mistakes than that on a daily basis.

Republican's are the ones driving the Voter ID issue. Ohio's Republican's SoS is the one who stands to gain the most by proving voter fraud. That's my whole point is prove it and the Republican's haven't proved it.

As far as the myth that voter fraud doesn't exist: (numerous sources, but here's one from the Heritage Foundation)
(Supreme Court Justice) Stevens wrote in a 6-3 majority opinion upholding an Indiana voter ID law: “That flagrant examples of [voter] fraud…have been documented throughout this Nation’s history by respected historians and journalists…demonstrate that not only is the risk of voter fraud real but that it could affect the outcome of a close election.”

We all agree that they're cases of fraud in every election cycle but the important point is the solution your proposing worse then the problem your trying to fix?

Did that really come out the way you meant it to? That multiple people voting fraudulently numerous times won't impact an election? That doesn't seem to pass the common sense test. Can you explain that logic to me?

Again it is how you look at the problem and we obviously view it from different perspectives. Let me ask you this question. Would you consider it worth while to stop a 1000 legal voter from voting so that you can stop that one case of voter fraud? What if it was 5 or 10 thousand people who lost the right to vote in the name of stopping that fraudulent vote? That what we are talking about here is how many legal voters are going to be stopped by the "solution".

Same source as above: [T]he number of people who don’t already have a photo ID is incredibly small. An American University survey in Maryland, Indiana, and Mississippi found that less than one-half of 1 percent of registered voters lacked a government-issued ID, and a 2006 survey of more than 36,000 voters found that only “23 people in the entire sample–less than one-tenth of one percent of reported voters” were unable to vote because of an ID requirement. What about those who don’t have photo IDs? Von Spakovsky notes that “every state that has passed a voter ID law has also ensured that the very small percentage of individuals who do not have a photo ID can easily obtain one for free if they cannot afford one.”

.5% is a much bigger number the .000025%. In Ohio for example that would work out to roughly 26,500 legal voters would lose their right to vote to stop 135 illegal votes that took place. Does that sound like a reasonable solution?

We, as a nation, should be looking for ways of ensuring that only qualified citizens vote, and they only vote once each, in elections that they are supposed to be voting in.

Who get's to decide who is qualified?

I watched the video and I have a different take. The person talking in the video said only that they lowered then-candidate Obama's margin of victory by five percent. Another way of interpreting what he meant was that Voter ID kept 5% (of whatever number) from voting fraudulently for now-President Obama, it didn't seem to me like he was celebrating keeping people from lawful voting. Is there more context to the story that is not included in the very brief clip you posted?

Do you have proof that that 5% of votes were fraudulent or could they have been the percentage of the population that didn't have ID?

There is incredible money and resources involved in elections. Both parties know what they're doing and why there doing it and they know before they do it if it is going to help or hurt them. Democrats didn't push through motor voter registration with out knowing it was going to help them turn people out for election. Republican's aren't doing what they are doing because they think they're going to be hurt worse then the Democrats.

This issue isn't about election integrity it's about winning election as much as any other political activity like redistricting. Changing election rules has a purpose and you can take the money to the bank that the party proposing the changes stands to benefit from it. Just like the party that gets out fund raised in an election cycle belly aches about the need for campaign finance form. Then the next election cycle when they out raise the other guy they suddenly don't want to talk about the issue anymore.

Somebody prove the problem is statically significant and the solution isn't far worse then the actual problem I would change my tune.
 
Yeah, I don't want my President ultimately decided and chosen by someone from another country. We do a good enough job of screwing that up without foreign influence meddling in there.

There was a time when common sense prevailed and we didn't have to actually vocalize that. Today, people look at you in that half-cross-eyed "too many pop tarts and iPod music" look, and have no idea what you are saying or why you'd say it.
 
For one thing, @Scotth, you are more of a man than me if when you lose your wallet the only thign you have to worry about is "Oh shit I can't vote". I'm too busy adding up how many hours I'm going to spend on the phone with India and the Philippines trying to get all my bank & credit cards cancelled. And then I'm going to start scheduling an appointment 10 days later with the NC DMV to get a replacement license because, you know, it takes 2 people 8 hours to print 100 laminated cards per day and hand out place-holder numbers, and that requires weeks prior appointments. GO BIG GOVERNMENT.

But seriously what do you do if you get to the plane with no license? You miss the plane, right? Do you write to your Congressmen and have them campaign to allow every Yahoo on a plane with no I.D.? I doubt it! And which is worse? Fifty Yahoos getting on a plane who don't belong there, or A single YAHOO getting into the White House who doesn't belong there?

Thanks for the concern but I was 20 at the time and didn't have a bunch of credit cards. Hell even today I only regularly carry a money clip with a little cash with my drivers license and bank card and leave everything else at home. It was '84 and it took the states 6-8 weeks to get a new driver license sent to you back then. I voted for Reagan that year which will probably shock a most of people.

I'm a big advocate for expanding voting early voting to avoid that one day O'shit moment. I like the idea my Mom uses of taking the ballot home to research the contestant in lower offices you never heard of as a means of having a better educated electorate.
 
I would really like to see a secure online/phone/text voting system. In todays age, having to go somewhere special or mail in your vote seems stupid to me. I understand the fraud and security concerns regarding "online voting" but I think its a shame in todays tech-age with super smart everything, we can't figure out away to blend the modern tech to the voting.

I mean shit, part of your phone contract can be a "voting agreement" requiring the ID/register of the voter. Then a special pass to submit your vote, make your vote and done. Too easy IMHO.
Brother I think it would be nice in theory. But let's see if we can go for a year without a credit card number being stolen, and then another year without finding that some Schlepp with the DAV hasn't left his unencrypted/unseucred laptop at Starbucks with everyone's personal records, and then once the precedent is there that we can secure stuff, I'd be good with it.
 
You just negated yourself dude.

Motor voter registration means THEY ALL HAVE FUCKING ID

Yeah, there's something politically to be gained. It's called keeping people off the field that aren't supposed to be a part of the game.

No I didn't negate myself. Motor Voter Registration doesn't mean everyone has ID. Go to a senior center and test that hypothesis. MVR merely got more people registered which made it easier for democrats to turn out young voters and other people who wouldn't otherwise have made a separate trip to register to vote. So yah the lazy fucks were easier to now get in the voter booth and they voted for democrats more often.
 
Thanks for the concern but I was 20 at the time and didn't have a bunch of credit cards. Hell even today I only regularly carry a money clip with a little cash with my drivers license and bank card and leave everything else at home. It was '84 and it took the states 6-8 weeks to get a new driver license sent to you back then. I voted for Reagan that year which will probably shock a most of people.

I'm a big advocate for expanding voting early voting to avoid that one day O'shit moment. I like the idea my Mom uses of taking the ballot home to research the contestant in lower offices you never heard of as a means of having a better educated electorate.
My point, Scott- and you know I respect and like your posts- is that your one "Oh Shit" moment does not constitute a valid reason to continue to elect Presidents in an unsecure manner on my part. I mean no offense earlier. It was more a commentary on my slow complaining descent into crotchetyville as I notice inefficiencies in those appointed over me... by voters usually.
 
I'm still not sure why they don't make voting day a Federal/non-work holiday to encourage more voter

I am in favor of showing ID in order to vote. I know the opposition states that many people don't have picture ID but I believe those in favor of voter ID should work with state and local officials to make it easy to get IDs. Bus people in, go to people's homes, do an online or mail-in application. This shouldn't be this hard.
 
My point, Scott- and you know I respect and like your posts- is that your one "Oh Shit" moment does not constitute a valid reason to continue to elect Presidents in an unsecure manner on my part. I mean no offense earlier. It was more a commentary on my slow complaining descent into crotchetyville as I notice inefficiencies in those appointed over me... by voters usually.

I have no doubt we both share an equal respect for the others opinions. Any day we can have a good debate is a good day in my book. You will never change that opinion even if the debate gets heated. It's only debate.
 
I don't know about other states, but Virginia gave me a FREE voter registration card when I registered to vote. And they send me updated voter registration cards every so often, also FREE.

And I still don't buy into this whole argument. The people on one side say voter ID requirements keep elections honest, but don't provide what I consider proof of major voter fraud without it. The people who say voter ID requirements disenfranchise poor voters never provide proof of major voter disenfranchisement. IMO, an occasional case on either side doesn't equate proof that it's widespread.
 
My argument for requiring IDs to vote is simple. Look at the 15th Amendment:

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Emphasis is mine.

Prove you are a citizen and you can vote. That's really all I care about. If you lose a valid photo ID, a SSN card, car insurance + registration, or utility bill with your name on it AND someone with a valid photo ID vouching for you and signing a canned sworn statement should suffice. People will always try and game the system (birth certs/IDs of dead people, etc) and that can be discovered and remedied. The biggest issue for me are non-citizens trying to vote.

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This all hits a very personal note with me..

Florida has this one on the books as well. My grievance is if I'm required to show I.D. to vote then the State shouldnt charge me for an I.D.
 
I think it is cute that the Obama Administration is so against voter ID here, but feels it is so necessary in Kenya that we kicked over 53 Million Dollars to make it happen there.
http://m.whitehouse.gov/the-press-o...gthening-democratic-institutions-rule-law-and

In Kenya, the $53 million Yes Youth Can program empowers nearly one million Kenyan youth to use their voices for advocacy in national and local policy-making, while also creating economic opportunities. In advance of Kenya’s March 2013 general elections, Yes Youth Can’s “My ID My Life” campaign helped 500,000 youth obtain National identification cards, a prerequisite to voter registration, and carried out a successful nationwide campaign with Kenyan civic organizations to elicit peace pledges from all presidential aspirants.
 
This all hits a very personal note with me..

Florida has this one on the books as well. My grievance is if I'm required to show I.D. to vote then the State shouldnt charge me for an I.D.
I semi-agree; just impliment a National I.D. program, and require people to have an I.D.

I find it funny that the most sacred civic duty is the one people accept fraudulent activities in.

The people telling me their isn't enough vote fraud to make a difference are the same ones who went to (Iraq, El Salvador, etc) and proudly proclaim that one fraudulent vote is one too many.
 
Local elections are generally every 2 years, presidential elections every 4 years. Plenty of time to get a freaking ID. You need one for everything else, and anyone who thinks this "disenfranchises" anyone except an illegal who has no right to vote anyway is just wrong.

Easy to say when you aren't disenfranchised.
 
Local elections are generally every 2 years, presidential elections every 4 years. Plenty of time to get a freaking ID. You need one for everything else, and anyone who thinks this "disenfranchises" anyone except an illegal who has no right to vote anyway is just wrong.
You'd be surprised how easy it is to get "disenfranchised" these days.. It's not just for illegals and slackers in America 2013...
 
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