VOTER ID

VOTER ID

Voting is fun…and easy!

Well I’ve done it again.  As many times as I vow to not get into political comments on FB, I have done it again.  These comment “wars” never end and never change anyone’s opinion, and yet I cannot help myself.  This disagreement was with a favorite very liberal blogging friend, so I will finish my point on:

CRANKY OPINION SATURDAY

I have no doubt that this blogger who I shall not name (Carolyn) will respond in a comment.  I will not respond back; keep in mind as with all Cranky Saturday Opinions, opposing points of view are welcome…wrong, but welcome and please, no name calling and that means you, you big stupid head!! (Not Carolyn)

 

This particular battle came as I responded to a FB posting where President Clinton makes the comment, “A great democracy does not make it harder to vote than to buy an assault weapon.” The posting said that:

President Clinton took down the entire Republican rational with this one sentence.

Before I start my rant I must first establish that:

1.    I believe all legally eligible voters should vote without undue restriction or inconvenience.

2.    I do not own a gun, do not like guns, and believe that stricter gun control laws will make the country safer without restricting the rights of any citizen. (http://joeh-crankyoldman.blogspot.com/2012/12/gun-control.html)

3.    I do not have any issue with hunters or recreational shooters.

4.    I am not an expert in current gun regulations or voter registration rules.  That has never stopped me from espousing any opinion before and it will not stop me now.

 

To currently vote in this country you must be a citizen, be over 18 years of age, and cannot be a convicted felon.  You must fill out a registration form affirming you meet all these requirements.  You do not have to actually prove you meet these requirements.  It is very easy to vote in this country, it is very easy to vote illegally in this country.

It is easy to purchase a gun in this country, but it is much harder (in most states) than registering to vote, and you have to prove you meet the requirements.  (I would favor a national law covering the purchase of guns.) 

My objection to President Clinton’s comment is that it is intellectually dishonest.  It implies that there are parties in this country which wish to make it easier to buy a gun than it is to vote.  I do not accept that that is in any way the truth.*

I could just as easily say, “A great democracy does not throw people in jail for their religious beliefs.”  It would be a true but irrelevant statement.

 

I am in favor of citizens proving they are legally eligible to vote, and I am in favor of requiring some form of voter ID.

The argument against requiring voter ID is that it will keep people from legitimately voting.  It will disenfranchise the poor and the elderly.

Hmmm…

You cannot get a job without a SS card.

You cannot travel in a plane without a valid photo ID.

You cannot get cable TV, water, gas or electricity without providing ID of who you are.

You cannot play at my public municipal golf course without ID.

The only thing in this country that does not require valid ID is registering to vote.

The argument for no ID is that many people have a great deal of difficulty in obtaining valid ID and they should not be left out of the voting process.

HOG WASH…end of argument.

 

Can we please tell it like it is here? Stop the talking point crap about disenfranchising the poor and the elderly. 

Truth is:

Many thousands of citizens do not care very much about voting and any inconvenience will cause them to not vote.

Many thousands of ineligible voters DO take the trouble to vote illegally.  Many are registered in multiple districts, many are not alive, many are fabricated and many are not legal citizens.

Most people that monitor the voting booths are volunteers, are retired, and many are the same people that could not punch a chad through a hole with a pencil point.  If you can find a voters name and sign on a line, you can vote. 

More legal voters who are turned off by any inconvenience are Democrat than Republican.

More illegal voters vote Democrat than Republican.

Democrats favor easy voter registration and are against voter ID.  Republicans favor proof that a voter is legal and approve of the use of voter ID.

This issue is party divisive because the issue is all about maximizing votes for a given party.  NOTHING ELSE!!

Democrats favor simple registration without verification because they stand to gain more from illegal voting than Republicans.  If it was the other was around, Democrats would all be on their high horse complaining about the travesty of illegal votes cast against them. 

I believe legal registration which is accurate but not cumbersome is fair. I believe every vote can and should be validated.  We live in a computer age for crispy sake; it should not be that difficult.


The preceding was the opinion of a cranky old man and not necessarily that of management…Mrs. Cranky. 

* I did not vote for President Clinton in ether election, in retrospect I think he is charming, very intelligent and was a darn good President...except for that BJ thing, but that's none of my business.