What to do about fraud.

[Brodels]

There have been numerous reports of fraud from around the country, and it's still early in the day.

We simply cannot allow anyone to walk into a polling place without some kind of verifiable identification and/or address and vote. Eventually voter fraud will get to the point that our system really doesn't work at all.

We simply must, at the very least, require every voter to show a photo id. Down the road, it is worth spending money on some sort of other identification system involving retina scans of something similar.

We must do these things. If voters get intimidated about those things, then it's likely that they are doing something shady. The future of the current system depends upon our ability to keep fraud to a minimum.

The current way simply doesn't work. All I ask is that every citizen have one vote, no more or no less. If you can't even show an id, get the fuck out. If you don't agree to some sort of additional identification system in the future, get the fuck out.

[Marcus Bryant]

That's where we are headed. I mean if people want the government to pay for all the shit they expect why is it so hard to honestly register to vote and bring some ID to the voting booth?

[Brodels]

That's where we are headed. I mean if people want the government to pay for all the shit they expect why is it so hard to honestly register to vote and bring some ID to the voting booth?

That's a good question. I simply can't imagine how anyone can feel good about defending the fact that in many places you don't need to bring an ID to the voting booth.

[spurster]

I think one underlying issue is that our current forms of ID (drivers license, state ID, passport, or whatever) require a fee. So requiring this kind of ID can be interpreted as a poll tax. The solution is to have the government (state or federal) provide a free ID when you register to vote. If you want a strong ID system, you would require an ID for every citizen, but a lot of people are against that.

RIght now I bring my voting card, which is a pretty weak form of ID, but better than nothing, I suppose.

[Marcus Bryant]

I believe most states offer some kind of free state photo ID for those without a driver's license.

[AlamoSpursFan]

When I voted, I handed over my voter registration card and then asked the lady working the list if she needed to see my ID. She responded "No, we don't need that if you have your registration card." I then asked her how she knew I was who I said I was. The resulting deer-in-the-headlights look was classic.

I definitely agree we need a system to positively identify anyone who attempts to vote. There is no reason you should not be able to produce some form of legal ID. This is not a voter intimidation issue, this is a stop vote fraud issue. Which, of course, is why it will never happen.

[spurster]

It's $15 in Texas. If you need a duplicate for a "friend" (I mean if you need a replacement if you lost it), then the fee is $10.

[Brodels]

I will say that I was impressed at the work done at my local polling place this morning. I recently changed addresses so I needed to register to vote in this city. They required a picture ID and a bill with my name and address on it.

In many states, IDs are free. If that's what it is going to take to require IDs at the polling places, I'm all for making them free everywhere.

[Hook Dem]

I will say that I was impressed at the work done at my local polling place this morning. I recently changed addresses so I needed to register to vote in this city. They required a picture ID and a bill with my name and address on it.

In many states, IDs are free. If that's what it is going to take to require IDs at the polling places, I'm all for making them free everywhere.
Like you, I too had recently moved and was asked for I.D. I was not offended nor did I feel "intimidated". WHY? Because I was legitimate. Those that follow the rules never feel "intimidated".