GOP backs photo ID, citizenship proof for voters
12/17/2008 - 1:52pm
Republican lawmakers today said they'll push bills in the 2009 session requiring voters to show a photo ID at the polls and mandating Coloradans give proof of citizenship to register.
“Voting is a fundamental part of our democracy," said Rep. Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch. "As legislators, we must do everything in our power to protect the integrity of the proces. This includes making sure voting is fair, and reserved for only those who are eligible.”
McNulty and Sen.-elect Mark Scheffel, R-Parker, are expected to sponsor the proof-of-citizenship-to-register bill. The legislation would designate which documents could be used to prove citizenship, Republicans said, though they did not offer specifics.
Meanwhile, Rep. Ken Summers, R-Lakewood, and Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley, are to sponsor the photo ID legislation. Republicans said outgoing Secretary of State Mike Coffman, a Republican just elected to Congress, supports the measures.
“Coloradans deserve fair and proper elections that they can be confident in,” Renfroe said. “I view these proposals as a step in the right direction and so does Colorado’s chief elections official. Even one case of voter fraud is one case too many and these proposals would add one more firewall in the way of those who wish to taint our election process.”
Critics of similar bills in other states have said such measures frequently target the elderly and minorities, who tend to be Democrats and who are less likely to have photo ID such as a driver's license.
Critics also say that voter fraud _ especially in the form of voter impersonation at the polls _ is extremely rare. More common problems include intimidation of voters and improper purges of voters, opponents of photo ID requirements say.
House Republicans themselves have been experiencing some election integrity issues this week. House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker, reversed himself Tuesday, saying he would not retire from his seat as planned because there were inappropriate "outside influences" on the leadership election to replace him.
House Republicans are looking into the matter, which some said is the result of discussions that a lobbyist had with certain lawmakers.
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GOP doesn't believe in Democracy...
The Republicans suffer from a delusion that large numbers of the illegal immigrants they invited into the country actually try to vote. It's nonsense. This talk about ID's is more old fashioned GOP "ballot suppression". Their goal is to discourage voter participation by creating bureaucratic barriers. It goes hand in hand with disqualifying voters for using a middle initial on one document and not on another, or placing too few voting machines in Democratic precincts to make voting inconvenient or impossible. When Republicans talk so piously about "fair and proper elections", they wreak with hypocrisy.
Garbage in, Garbage out
As an affirmation is all that is required to 'prove' one is a citizen, how could one tell if fraud, at a very basic level, is evident? Trusting those intent on scamming our systems is a pipe dream. Prove that fraud isn't happening!
With a unique ID number given anyone who doesn't produce a CO Drivers License, Photo ID, or Social Security number when registering; and a utility bill passing for proof to cast, how hard would it be to phony the vote?
Until a one time proof of citizenship registration requirement and a verified, ie checked with the issuer, photo ID to file the ballot, it's garbage in, garbage out.
A cure for a non-existent problem
I asked Mike Coffman if there were ever a case of someone attempting to vote fraudulently in Colorado. He said that he never heard of one. So what is this supposed to do? It's to keep down the turnout and that favors republicans. At least they seem to think so because this is a national campaign for them.
"We must recognize that the accepted trade off between freedom and security is misguided, because our values are the essence of our strength. If dungeons, brute force and arbitrary rule were the keys to real power, Saudi Arabia would be a model for the future."
An attempt to disenfranchise the poor and elderly
Who does not have a photo id? Those who do not have a car or a bank account. Or those who are too old to drive.
“Voting is a fundamental part of our democracy," said Rep. Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch. "As legislators, we must do everything in our power to protect the integrity of the process. This includes making sure voting is fair, and reserved for only those who are eligible.” Well, my dear Frankie, your reasons are a bunch of hooey. As the above post stated, this is not a problem.
As a democracy, we should make it as easy to vote as possible. No registration, just show up and vote. And voting should be over a week so everyone has a day off in order to vote.
Republicans still think that Mayor Daley fixed the election of 1960. If you look it up, Illinois had 27 electoral votes. If the state was switched, Nixon still would have lost 276-246 instead of 303-219. This was not the election of 2000 when the Supreme Court intervened and gave the election to their fellow Republican.
Oh Please...
a)A picture ID is available to every legal citizen of the United States, who is residing in Colorado.
b)"As a democracy, we should make it as easy to vote as possible. No registration, just show up and vote. And voting should be over a week so everyone has a day off in order to vote."
Who ever told you that we live in a democracy? If it's what you really believe, it's time for some better information; we live in a Constitutional Republic.
c) "Republicans still think that Mayor Daley fixed the election of 1960. If you look it up, Illinois had 27 electoral votes. If the state was switched, Nixon still would have lost 276-246 instead of 303-219. This was not the election of 2000 when the Supreme Court intervened and gave the election to their fellow Republican."
Actually, anyone with a brain believes that Mayor Daley fixed the election in 1960. The Daley machine was well documented.
If you wish to bury your head in the sand, or better yet, sit around with your progressive friends and sing Koom-by-yah, and it gives you warm fuzzies, more power to you. I'm sure it's a beautiful day in your neighborhood...