Voter ID is NOT Suppression

I was disappointed to learn that the PA Judge struck down the voter photo ID law yesterday.

I can already hear the shouts accusing me of advocating "Voter Suppression!"

Hogwash!

If the requirement for ID at the polls is indeed voter suppression, then equally so is the requirement for voter registration. The plain truth is that anyone who feels an obligation to vote, will do what it takes to ensure that they get there. The requirement to obtain an ID is not the onerous task that so many people make it out to be.

Claims that a person would have to actually put themselves out to get to the DMV to get their FREE ID, or wouldn't be able to get there at all are overstated. The ID is provided at no cost upon request at any DMV office in PA. There are even several avenues for help with transportation. Also, everyone seems to disregard the fact that if these people can't get out to get ID, how do they get out to vote? A trip for ID would only be one more trip out for those who need it.

Copies of birth certificates for ID are readily available at the Vital statistics offices. These copies are certified, and sufficient for any purpose that requires a birth certificate.

If a person is truly unable to get out, they would be voting by absentee ballot, and there is NO ID requirement to do so.

May claim that the law only gave residents a month to get their ID before voting began. The law was actually passed in March, giving voters 7 months to obtain ID. DMV records show a surge in ID applications in April and May, from which the logical presumption would be that those who were serious about voting made the effort. Those who chose to await the outcome of the court were taking their own chances, because if the judge had made a different ruling they would have been caught unprepared, by their own choice.

The real truth is this: Most of the people in the groups commonly discussed as those for whom the "Voter Suppression" proponents are claiming disenfranchisement, already possess the requisite ID. The elderly, on fixed incomes had to produce a government ID to get Social Security or welfare, or any other form of government-provided assistance. They either get checks, which will require government ID to cash, or have direct deposit. Banks require (by law) government ID to open accounts and to manage the accounts. All the same for people who receive government assistance.

On the flip side of the coin, there have been sufficient documented cases of voter fraud to warrant some corrective action on a broad scale. And my answer to the people who say they have never actually experienced voter fraud first-hand is this: Have you ever personally witnessed a murder, or a bank robbery? Does that mean that they don't happen? Does that mean that we should not enact laws designed to prevent these crimes? Be serious!

Voter fraud exists, and exists on a chronic scale. It is NOT a partisan thing, as the last publicized case of fraud on a large scale was perpetrated by Republicans and an agency directly tied to the Republican Party.

If you get off your various party bandwagons, and recognize this for the problem that it truly is, you should be CLAMORING for some sort of reform, whether you be Republican or Democrat. This is a bi-partisan problem, and needs a swift, effective solution. And, get ready, because now that we are actually reporting the cases of voter fraud, ID at the polls will be inevitable. Don't wait until the last minute!