The answer to a cynic's question "Do elections matter?" may be partially
found in the way judges have handled an Indiana voter photo ID law that
requires people to prove their identity before they can vote. The Supreme
Court will begin 2008 by hearing arguments in one of the most volatile
political cases to come before it since Bush vs. Gore in the 2000
presidential election.
As The Washington Post noted in a front-page Christmas Day story, deciding
the case may depend on where a judge stands politically, as much as where
that judge stands constitutionally. Appellate judges named by Republican
presidents have mostly favored the ID requirement. Appellate judges named by
Democrats have mostly opposed it.
The Post interviewed Richard L. Hasen, an election-law expert at Loyola Law
School in Los Angeles. It summarized his position on the controversy this
way: "Hasen does not believe that the (lower court) decisions reflect a
desire to aid one political party over another, but rather a philosophical
divide on the question of whether protecting the integrity of the voting
process from fraud is of equal or greater value than making sure as many
eligible voters as possible take part in the process."
Come again? If potential voters are illegal aliens (or convicted felons, or
do not live where they claim) without proper IDs, how can they possibly be
"eligible" to vote? How is a voter registrar to determine whether someone
is, in fact, eligible without some form of legitimate identification?
The list of examples of situations in which a valid ID is required is long
and growing longer. Try buying an airplane ticket without a driver's license
or passport. Try passing through TSA without a government-issued ID.
Recently, I called my credit card company, and before the customer service
person would consider the purpose of my call, she asked me a list of
questions to make sure of my identity. It was the same when I called my cell
phone company, except that there were even more questions, including the
last four numbers on my Social Security card, the amount of my last bill and
my mother's maiden name. "We have to be sure you are who you say you are,
Mr. Thomas," said the woman.
If the airlines, TSA, credit card and cell phone companies require me to
prove who I am, why is it a problem when it comes to voting?