Finally! A Practical Solution to the “Voter Fraud” Problem
The Minnesota state legislature is about to pass another assembly-line Voter ID law. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie are opposed to this law. They’ve come up with their own idea instead — a simple method that would eliminate voter fraud WITHOUT disenfranchising anyone.
Polling places would have access to an electronic poll book. Voters who don’t have an ID card could have their information pulled up from state computers. Poll workers could easily verify whether or not the person actually is who he says he/she is. The voter’s driver’s license would be scanned in, or any other ID card with a picture. If someone has no picture ID whatsoever, they could take this person’s photo right there at the polling booth and scan that in.
Mark Ritchie said this procedure would be a lot less expensive than the Voter ID laws that are being passed in lockstep throughout the red states, as well as not disenfranchising anyone. He said:
“We would not be disenfranchising anybody and we would not be breaking the bank.”
Presto! Solomon himself couldn’t have come up with a more sensible solution. We now have a simple pragmatic way to eliminate voter fraud and simultaneously make sure no eligible voters are denied the right to vote.
Isn’t this great?!?!?!?!?
Surely, Republicans are in favor of this. After all, their stated reason for their Voter ID fixation has been their genuine fear that an ineligible voter might be able to vote.
And now — problem solved. It’s a Win Win.
So, the GOP is on board with this, right? Right??? I mean, they certainly wouldn’t have some sort of hidden unstated reason for pushing these Voter ID laws.
Would they????
Labels: electronic poll book, Mark Dayton, Mark Ritchie, Minnesota voter ID
posted by Tom Harper @ 2:31 PM
10 Comments:
It's telling that the amendment sponsor, Kiffmeyer, didn't offer a single rational reason why her measure would be better than Dayton's proposal. Kiffmeyer probably realizes that admitting the point of her amendment is to keep a whole lot of people from voting wouldn't win hearts and minds among a large segment of the public.
Dayton has protected Minnesota from a lot of Klanbagger shenanigans. I wish there were someone in Ohio who was interested in saving us from Klanbagger stupidity.
How exactly would taking a picture of an individual at the polling place ensure that he or she were an eligible voter? It wouldn't. The fact that you need a photo ID to vote doesn't disenfranchise anyone. Passports (which are Government issued photo ID that show both identity and citizenship) cost nothing at the United States Post Office. These are located in almost every community in the United States. Problem Solved without breaking the bank.
Say it aint so, Joe.
I was robbed. I had to pay a passport fee at the post office.
I had to buy a passport too, I'm thinking it was around $30.00
Erik
SW: It won't be easy for Republicans to come out and say "but this won't keep those swarthy minority types and icky poor people out of the voting booth." It'll be interesting to see them try to squirm their way out of this.
JR: Thank God for some of these Democratic governors. I've read the same thing about the governor of Montana.
Joe: What Dave and Erik said (the two commenters after you). Besides, if conservatives have their way, the Post Office will soon go the way of the covered wagon and the hula hoop.
Dave: But don't worry, your passport is in the mail.
Erik: Ours wasn't free either; I forget how much it cost.
Passports (which are Government issued photo ID that show both identity and citizenship) cost nothing at the United States Post Office. These are located in almost every community in the
Which United States do you live in? The one I live in charged me $65 for the processing of a passport CARD. The passports themselves are a good bit more expensive.
Forget it Joe bottom line is not about the cost but how many democrat voters Acorn can get to the polls.Maybe they should be helping them get ID first.
Wrong.
The point is that if the problem is with fears of voter fraud, there is a quick way to sniff out the frauds while allowing all the real eligible voters to vote. Nothing wrong with that, and yes, the Republicans ought to be in favor of it if their real intent is to sniff out the frauds. Kudos to Dayton for offering a sane alternative to the usual GOP junk.
Anyone who is an American citizen, old enough to vote, and eligible to vote should be allowed to... it shouldn't have to depend on them going through hoops designed only to keep them from going to the polls. Should our citizens have to pay a fee for the right to vote? Nope.
Joe Eversole, FYI, the current cost of a passport card is $55. For some people, the cost of getting to a place where passports are issued can be a hardship. Paying $55 would take food off the table. You're idea is nothing but an update of the poll tax.
If someone who wants to vote has some form of ID but without a photo, having the person sign an affidavit bearing their photo and stating they are who they say they are, the person on the ID they have, then they should be allowed to vote. If it turns out they're not the person they claim to be, they can be apprehended and prosecuted for voter fraud.
Now, about rigged e-voting machines . . .
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