” … voters still overwhelmingly support laws requiring that voters show identification before casting a ballot.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 75% of Likely U.S. Voters believe voters should be required to show photo identification such as a driver’s license before being allowed to vote. Only 21% are opposed to such a requirement. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Thirty-six states have enacted some form of voter ID law, but those laws would be nullified if the Senate approves H.R. 1, which passed the House on a party-line vote. Critics say H.R. 1 “would force states to allow anyone to vote who simply signs a form saying that they are who they claim they are.”
“Support for voter ID laws has actually increased since 2018, when 67% said voters should be required to show photo identification such as a driver’s license before being allowed to vote.
Eighty-nine percent (89%) of Republicans support voter ID requirements, as do 60% of Democrats and 77% of voters not affiliated with either major party.”
Comment: In Virginia it was not necessary to present identification at a polling place untl about 20 years ago. This was a relic of an older time when most Virginia communities were quite small and it was expected that one or more people would recognize acitizen at the polling station,
IMO the time has come when national ID cards would be a good thing. The trick would be to make it as tamper proof as possible. pl
I registered to vote in Virginia in 1996. The county registrar sent a voter card with a voter number and my polling place. That what I showed when I voted. I can’t remember if I had to state full name and address like I do now. Now I show a driver license or military ID. According to the Virginia state voting website, I could also use “any other current government document containing the name and address of the voter or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, or paycheck containing the name and address of the voter.” A registered voter can also sign an ID Confirmation Statement. The key is being registered. That seems to be where the focus should be. I do agree that one should prove they are eligible to register to vote in the place they live. That shouldn’t take a national ID.
TTG
IMO it will. We ought to have national ID cards for any number of reasons. After you Dems seize control of federal elections under HR-1 that may the only way to insure any sort of legitimacy in elections. Maybe even the Roberts court will throw that law out.
How would a national ID card ensure integrity of the vote. If it’s like a military ID, there is no record of present address. Such a national ID would not ensure the voter is voting in the proper precinct. Only voter registration roles do that.
TTG
After HR-1 is enacted local identification will be meaningless. Only national identity will matter.
“After HR-1 is enacted local identification will be meaningless.”
That sounds like a right wing talking point. Who claims that? I see nothing in HR-1 that calls for anything like that. It has a lot to say about local voter registration rolls, but nothing about making them obsolete.
TTG+
I claim that. “That sounds like a right wing talking point.” You are accusing me of being a shill for right wing propaganda. You should probably find somewhere else to post. I am suspending you from guest author privileges for a month.
Pat, when living in the UK, I was vaguely aware one didn’t need to register in the place where one lived, assuming that is how matters are dealt with in the US of A. Vaguely recalling I wondered at the time how did the bureaucracy contact people for the upcoming elections?
If they are not registered where they legally are allowed/assumed to vote, then of course they need to register to be able to do so.
As German, I don’t quite understand why it is a problem to register where I live. If I do, then of course I am automatically informed about the upcoming place and date where I can vote. Even given a chance in case I am absent at that specific date to vote by mail. And yes, I can even vote by mail even if I am just to lazy to vote in person at that specific date and at the specific space in time.
Obviously in case I vote directly I am quite prepared to show my ID card which on the back shows my place of residence. That’s a problem? Restricting my freedom? Why? How?
*********
Otherwise: You seem to be a bit overreacting. The topic is a bit heated by the more general US hysteria.
LeAnder
You Germans like being the property of the state. We have not and have sought in the past to avoid the attention of the state whenever possible.
Colonel, I remain leery of a national ID card coupled with a basically cashless society,
that combination makes it very easy to quickly just shut down an individual’s ability
to conduct day to day business contingent on some entity on the national levels mood.
Guess I’m a fan of state’s rights & keeping things more localized.
I’ve been getting the impression lately the federal gov craves more control over our lives
& it creeps me out. So despite the increased expediency of a national ID card I respectfully disagree.
elaine
You leftists are about to pass a law that unconstitutionally will seize control of federal elections which are ordained as being run by the states. When that happens the only chance there will be of there being honest elections would be a tamper free national credential. Call it what you will.
elaine
you don’t like being called a leftist? You have amply demonstrated that you are a leftist. I allow you here as a foil for discussion.
Please excuse the manner in which my words are spaced on the page, it’s not intentional
& I don’t understand why/how it’s happening.
I recently got a new driver’s license, the kind that complies with airport security in order to be able to fly. And boy, my county Department of Motor Vehicles office was absolutely TOUGH, real hard asses, when it came to the documentation required to qualify for such a license. I had to go back THREE TIMES with various documents in order to satisfy them and meet their criteria EXACTLY, with no exceptions. So did my husband. I would hope that any national ID, if ever mandated, would be obtained by fulfilling similarly rigorous standards and conscientious processing. I bet it would set off leftists and libertarian-leaning rightists BIG TIME though, for different reasons: leftists would want lax standards and libertarians would oppose the notion per se.
Patience –
My state drivers license was similarly tough to get. Ditto for my wife’s non-driving id card. If they are good enough for TSA to prevent hijacking they should be good enough for voter id.
It appears the only people not needing i.d. are those who enter the country illegally and anyone trying to vote in very liberal precincts. I’ve been asked for photo id in every election I voted in for the past twenty years. I see no reason that people concerned for effective governance can’t put forth the effort to ensure they are properly registered and prepared long before the day of an election.
I also see the value in a National ID Card, plus I would like to see the Social Security, Medicare and other governmental benefits incorporated into that National ID, so it becomes an all encompassing document with fingerprint and other biometrics incorporated into the card for security purposes.
Now States are responsible for elections and they should accept the National ID Card as the only acceptable Voter Identification card. HR#1 should be voted down in the Senate or if passed challenged at the Supreme Court as it is contrary to our foundation.
We recently went through getting a State non driving ID for the 95 year old M-I-L whose license had expired and her bank would not cash a check for her due to the expiration. Fortunately her departed husband was an organized person and had her Naturalization papers from the 40’s up in a box in the closet otherwise she would of been up a creek as finding acceptable documents for State Licenses in todays world is not as easy as it sounds. A National ID will solve a lot of future problems in our evolving society.
The UK ID card shown above is not a valid one just a sample. The UK, almost uniquely in Europe, does not have a national ID card. Photo ID if needed, is generally by passport or driving licence.
At election time all voters are sent a poll card identifying where they are to vote unless you have said you wish to vote by mail in which case you get a form and an envelope to post.
On the day you do not need, but they like you to, take the card. When you appear you say who you are (no ID) and are crossed of their paper based, address order, list and given the voting slip, which you mark and put in the sealed ballot box. At end of voting the box is taken to the counting center and the ballots counted by hand.
Seems to work pretty well and not a computer or tablet let alone a tabulating machine in sight.