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September 21, 2006
Exhibit A
The Federal Election Integrity Act requiring voters to show picture identification by 2008 and proof of citizenship by 2010 passed yesterday. The vote split along party lines with only a few dissenters from each side. Do we need a more flagrant indication of the ruling party's inclination towards a big brother state? A more honest version of this bill would have simply instituted for a national ID card. Democrats were up in arms about voter suppression, which isn't really the core issue here. According to The Washington Times Republicans
…countered that the real infringement upon voting rights would be allowing fraudulent votes by the dead or illegal "to cancel out legitimate votes."
which also misses the point.
In 2002 I attempted to vote, unsure whether my registration was still valid, in Colorado. I was asked for my name and some personal information, much like the credit card company does on the phone, and allowed to vote via provisional ballot. Now, how exactly does one vote if is illegal? Well, if you're illegal and you're working you already have false documentation of citizenship (probably a social security card), so in 2008 and 2010 you won't have the slightest bit of trouble, a driver’s license is only as far away as the DMV.
When I lived in Germany, they had a tax on all TV's and Radios and the government was allowed to arbitrarily enter your house and search to make sure you were claiming the right number of each in your possession. I remember shaking my head at this and being proud that Americans were fighting to keep from having a national ID card. No more.
As this misguided bill fails to prevent voter fraud, the federal government will be inclined to further regulate what kind of ids are allowed and eventually issue a proof of citizenship. The solution is merely to support the states in efforts to keep more accurate voter rolls, a result that would benefit everyone, but instead this congress has decided to further impinge personal liberty by requiring identification for the most basic right a citizen has.
Posted by conryf at September 21, 2006 02:04 PM
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Posted by: Anonymous at September 21, 2006 02:04 PM
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