Photo ID for voting: Why not?
In Georgia there is a new law (blocked for the moment) that requires voters to be able to show a photo ID as proof of identity when voting. In general this is opposed by Democrats in the state and favored by Republicans, though the division is not perfectly on party lines.
The argument I have heard against it is that a requirement to have a photo ID is more burdensome on the poor and the uneducated. I’m not sure I buy that, but I would like to hear an explanation before making up my mind.
I think we all agree that voter fraud is bad. The infamous “dead voter” is not the only kind of fraud, but should be one of the easiest to stop. Given that people already must register to vote, and must regularly prove ID for other reasons, it does not seem out of line to prove identity to vote.
Do I have a mistaken concept of how hard it is to get a photo ID? Or is there some underlying rationale for being able to vote without proof of identity that I am overlooking?
Background: I am sensitive to the issue since in the last presidential election, my son showed up to vote and was told he had already voted. It took several hours to resolve the problem.
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