Voter Identification... Opinions?

melbelle24

I'm watching my election results right now, and it got me curious. I know we've discussed the whole "personhood" amendment before, but one of the other propositions up tonight is to require voter identification, and that has been a hotly debated topic here in MS. So I want to know... what's your opinion on requiring a gov't ID to vote?

firsttimersluck

I have no problem with it.
Go for it. (and I'm not a Republican, lol)

amh04

Color me dumb on this topic, but I thought you had to have a government ID to vote. At least I have always had to show one when I voted. If not, it definitely should be mandatory. It should be American citizens voting for our country's government officials, not non-citizens. (And I am a republican) 

melbelle24

Haha, that was kind of my opinion too. Of course, I am (mostly) a Republican. ;-)

melbelle24

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_voter-identification-opinions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:ecff41be-b9a1-493d-a28e-cb512c6ba152Post:70b9d21d-4990-424c-97ec-22953055410e">Re: Voter Identification... Opinions?</a>:
[QUOTE]Color me dumb on this topic, but I thought you had to have a government ID to vote. At least I have always had to show one when I voted. If not, it definitely should be mandatory. It should be American citizens voting for our country's government officials, not non-citizens. (And I am a republican) 
Posted by amh04[/QUOTE]
amh, I think it's a state-by-state thing. MS has had this issue come up in voting before, and there are some groups that claim it would be racist to require ID because not everyone has a gov't ID or the money to pay for one.

amh04

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_voter-identification-opinions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:ecff41be-b9a1-493d-a28e-cb512c6ba152Post:b3802bc0-b758-46d1-82ba-4cab80440f3e">Re: Voter Identification... Opinions?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Voter Identification... Opinions? : amh, I think it's a state-by-state thing. MS has had this issue come up in voting before, and there are some groups that claim it would be racist to require ID because not everyone has a gov't ID or the money to pay for one.
Posted by melbelle24[/QUOTE]

Yeah I vote in Virginia. Although I am now registered in FL. Seriously, the racist card?! Give me a break. It is less than $50 to have a government I'D and most jobs require you to have one, as well as banks to cash and make transactions. He'll even Wal-Mart does for cashing checks there and you need it to buy alcohol. That's a poor excuse! You practically need it for everything. They need to come up with a better excuse than that, its total BS (excuse my bluntness)

firsttimersluck

The state of WA requires ID to register to vote, but not require it for every time I turn in a ballot. (I think that's the big debate)

I think that people getting here illegally shouldn't have the right to vote. The debate for democrats isn't THAT however (general consensus is that),
the issue is that there are a lot of homeless/poor/etc that don't have ID to register to vote.
Frankly, I think that's their problem. I do believe that they should have a voice, but from those few bucks they are making by holding up signs or going to churches, they could easily take that to get an ID for themselves.
Not that difficult. If they are competent people they could take care of that, if not... it's their fault they aren't able to vote... and honestly, if they aren't competent enough to figure out how to get ID so that they can vote, I'm guessing they haven't put forth the effort to read about the different props or candidates. I know that that sounds reeeeally harsh (especially coming from me, a huge human rights advocate and a total liberal) however it's not hard to ask someone "how do I get an ID?" if they don't have any other way of getting that information. I also know that there are plenty of organizations/churches that offer services such as getting a ss card again or ID card. There. Done.

No proof of ID= No vote.

kyrgyzstan

I'm against it. I don't think we have much of a problem with illegal immigrants voting. But I do think $50 is a lot of money when you're living in true poverty. Not to mention having to pay for or travel to get your birth certificate, when you're in true poverty, that can be too taxing. Polling stations are generally in walkable distance, especially in urban areas where the poor are concentrated. DMVs and county records buildings? Less walkable. I had to drive 3 hours recently to get my birth certificate. I could have gotten a letter notarized, but that won't happen if I'm living in poverty. We should make it as easy as possible for our citizens to excercise their right to vote. Even for the very poor.

Irishcurls

Slightly off topic, but MS 26 was rejected!

shan87

To be honest, I am more concerned with convicted felons (color me a big ole meany) voting than non-citizen. In Minnesota, all I need is a cable, heat, electric bill, lease etc. plus my DL to vote. (mostly because I moved a lot so my polling station changed) If you are going to the same spot all you need is your DL.

divinemsbee

I think in MS, it's a huge deal because we live so closely with our past. For a very long time, it was extremely difficult for a person of color to vote. There were poll taxes and required IDs and literacy tests, and in MS, anything that restricts anyone's right to vote cuts very close to the bone for many many people.

On one hand, yeah, almost everyone one has an ID and it shouldn't be that hard. On the other, which includes a lot of Stan's reasoning, it seems like a way to disenfranchise people who might vote against the people who put this kind of initiative up at the polls (the poor and people of color tend to vote Democrat, these initiatives tend to be sponsored by Republicans).
I will say that in MS, if you just need ID to vote, if you can get to a DMV building, it is free.