Posted on 10/14/2006 9:13:35 PM PDT by SmithL
Congress is divided over how to ensure that only U.S. citizens vote each election, even though everyone accepts that only U.S. citizens should be voting.
The bill is one of the priorities of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., when Congress returns after the election.
Most people assume that residents in this country illegally will not try to vote. But a majority of House Republicans, aware that there are millions of illegal immigrants here, didn't accept that assumption. The House voted last month 228 to 196 to require that anyone planning to vote have both a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, and proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport.
Presumably one could show such documents just once when registering.
Somehow the issue became a hot potato that mostly Republicans supported and a majority of Democrats, hearing of many interest groups' concerns, voted against. Only three Republicans opposed the House bill, and only four Democrats voted yes. Tennessee's House delegation voted solidly with their party leaders.
The NAACP and AARP, for example, opposed the bill in part because low-income minorities and seniors would face a financial impact. However, the bill requires states to waive any fee for those unable to pay for a government ID. States would be reimbursed any waived costs by the federal Election Assistance Commission, which would be reimbursed by congressional appropriations.
The League of Women Voters opposed the bill in part because it could deter some segments of the population from voting because of time or money considerations. However, the bill requires states to create a photo ID program for those wanting to vote but do not have a government-issued photo ID for their usual activities. For example, persons not driving or needing a passport could get a new government ID accepted for voting.
The state of Tennessee found out the hard way what happens when it issues driving certificates without adequate documentation that people are residents of the state and in this country legally. State officials got tipped that out-of-state residents who were undocumented immigrants were paying facilitators $750 to $950 per person for transportation, fake addresses and fake documents to get a Tennessee driving certificate.
The program, reformed in March, apparently first was aimed at expanding the number of trained drivers in the state. But it became profitable for crime rings selling driving IDs to those living in other states who found the Tennessee IDs also helped them with ID accepted at banks and other places.
Now Tennessee requires several documents to show legal residence in the state before issuing a driving certificate - such as a work or student visa, a passport, two proofs of Tennessee residency, a school or work ID or Social Security card.
Each state ultimately must ensure the security of its residents, according to the Tennessee Department of Safety, so adequate documentation for driving certificates is important. It can be argued that making it easy for potential terrorists to get fake photo IDs is a threat to national security.
Is voting fraud a threat to national security? Certainly not in small numbers. But nearly every election, there is a race somewhere where no winner can be declared for a day or longer because it is very close and there are contested voters or ballots.
So, to protect all our key rights, including voting, it seems inevitable that we have to get used to proving who we really are and where we live and work.
Eventually we probably will agree to leave a copy of our fingerprints, a retina scan and a DNA sample with a major law enforcement agency - if that becomes necessary to sort out the law-abiding residents of this country from those illegally interfering with our rights and safety.
BINGO!
WHY has this not become law yet on a national level?
Oh, that's right. LIBERALS don't support it.
This seems like such a no brainer.
One state at a time, friend.
I don't know WHY this hasn't been made mandatory long ago. Many states require photo ID now and nobody has any trouble with it at all.
I wish. I know that no matter what happens, The People's Republic of Massachusetts may very well be that last.
Ah well. You are correct, one at a time.
Names please!
Just bringing us in-line with other modern countries.
"Congress is divided over how to ensure that only U.S. citizens vote each election, even though everyone accepts that only U.S. citizens should be voting."
Nonsense. A large number of Democrats wants large numbers of illegal aliens to be able to vote.
It used to be that absentee voting was a little big difficult because it was meant to allow people who actually, literally and physically COULD not vote in person on the day of the election. Now it is literally a turn-out strategy for the two parties to get the lazy voters who otherwise wouldn't put out the effort to walk/drive a mile or two to get to their local precinct some tuesday in November every other year.
And the DNC knows that there are at least a half dozen and maybe more than a dozen states where a substantial chunk of their voter turnout is going to come from absentee ballots from people who don't know they are registered and those who will trade their absentee ballot for a pack of cigarettes (Wisconsin) or $5 (Louisiana). If only one party is opposing something simple like verification of who is and isn't voting, there is obviously an ox being gored. And, thus far, the DNC has not put out a single rational or legally defensible argument against voter integrity. But there will be liberal Federal judges in all Federal Districts who would be happy to delay any voter integrity efforts for as many elections as possible so the DNC has a chance to take back Congress or the WH so this notion of voter integrity can be allowed to die from neglect.
I agree about IDs. Mexico has a thumbprint on their ID which is dedicated exclusively to voting. I disagree about absentee ballots. If it weren't for absentee ballots, i'd be unable to vote in half the elections due to travel. Any security problems with absentee ballots can be fixed by requiring proper ID for physical drop offs.
Why monkey around? Just tell it like it is. More income redistribution and taxation without representation.
Regardless of whether we have such a law this election, we can still SPREAD RUMORS that such a law exists and that Photo IDs will be checked NATIONWIDE, and that INS AGENTS will be stading by at precincts as well. We should spread such a rumor far an wide and in different languages so those planning to commit voter fraud are deterred.
And so all their lives they NEVER had to produce a valid photo id for ANYTHING (library card, drivers license, check cashing, getting a US Passport) and all of sudden something as critical and important to the country's election integrity these pro-democrap groups are making a heck of a hellaboo about nothing.
Ah well, Democrats are to bogus voting as bread is to butter. They are always together.
I hope they do .. the dems are going all out with their fraud stuff because they want to win: At any cost!
I've already read about 2 incidents involving ACORN messing with voter registrations.
The dems will be screaming about how unfair it is .. but let them.
My Grampa used to say it was to late to close the barn doors after the horses...well, you know.
Da*m Frist and the other wimps for not getting this passed in time for THIS election. If we had voter ID, there would a surprising drop off in dem votes.
Now it's too late. If they get control of the house - you can bet voter ID is dead...and we don't, at this point. really have a strong candidate for 08 =
and Gramma used to teach me about "A stitch in time..." Well, the pubby wimps in DC have let this one unravel too
The GOP has been in control of the Congress and Presidency for 6 years, and they are just starting to address the issue of voter fraud???
Kinda slow, aren't they?
I've been on it for years:
Click the picture for Vote Fraud:
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