"He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left."
Matthew 25:33

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Voter Identification

I went to the library recently and realized that I no longer possessed a library card. When I asked about getting a new one , I was asked to provide valid identification.

I was at the Holiday gas station on Robert Street last week and the lady in front of me in line was asked to show her ID to purchase a pack of smokes. She appeared to me to be about thirty but the cashier was playing it safe.

Quite often, people are carded at the liquor store. If you are pulled over as the result of a traffic stop you must show your drivers license. If you go to the bank to conduct business you must show identification. If you go to a gun shop and purchase a firearm, you must show a valid ID.

At a local credit union, a St. Paul police officer became upset. He was refused service because he did not have his drivers license. He was in uniform and had his name tag on, but as the teller had told him, anyone could dress up like a cop and print up a name tag.

According to Mark Ritchie, Minnesota's Secretary of State, requiring valid photo ID would only disenfranchise voters. Why is it that every thing we do, we must show identification to conduct business in our day to day lives, but some do not think it should be required to vote?

I recently became aware of a study by Jeffrey D. Milyo, a professor at the University of Missouri. In this study, the professor claims that the new photo ID law in Indiana did not hurt voter turn out in a recent election and showed a 2 percent increase in democrat voter turn out from the 2002 election.

Click on this link to be further enlightened on this issue. It is an interesting article on the subject.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20071127/NATION/111270031/1002

It is odd, in my opinion, that an ID is required for everything we do, but to exercise one of most important traditions of our democracy this issue would be contested. I have no qualms with same day registration as long as a photo ID is required.

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