Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would refuse to hear a challenge to Gov. Scott Walker’s voter ID bill, which was originally passed in 2011. This means after facing numerous challenges, voters will now be required to present a photo ID at the polls.
This decision has reignited a nationwide discussion about whether or not ID’s should be required to vote. Asking voters to show an ID before voting is a reasonable, common sense solution to ensure everyone’s vote is counted fairly.
No matter who you are an ID is nearly essential to live in today’s society. An ID must be presented to perform a variety of everyday tasks, for example, buying alcohol or even cashing a check. As such, it makes sense to require it to vote. In fact, according to a 2012 study of more than 20,000 voter interviews, an overwhelming majority of Americans have an ID that would be valid at the polls.
Wisconsin’s voter ID law will not be in effect for the April 7 elections, which means the earliest statewide election the law would be implemented for is the 2016 spring primary. This gives voters around a year to find the time to obtain an ID from the Department of Motor Vehicles in the event they do not have one currently. On top of this, citizens will be able to obtain a Wisconsin ID for free from the DMV.
Democrats have claimed voter ID laws specifically disenfranchise minorities, which is just categorically false. For example, a Reuters study found there was little difference between the amount of white voters (2 percent) and the amount of black voters (3 percent) who lack an ID.
Many critics of these Voter ID laws claim voter fraud simply does not exist, which is preposterous.
Now, are thousands upon thousands of people illegally voting? No, but in important, high-turnout elections a couple hundred illegally casts votes could sway the balance.
For example in 2008, Al Franken won a Minnesota Senate election by only 312 votes. Two professors from Old Dominion conducted a study on voter fraud and found it quite probable non-citizens casting illegal votes could have swayed this election.
An extensive report from the Milwaukee Police Department following the 2004 election also highlighted flaws in the electoral process and possible voter fraud. Voter fraud does exist and, in making sure people are who they say they are, this legislation is just one more way to ensure that our elections are fair and honest.
In the past the College Democrats have claimed Voter ID laws would disenfranchise student voters. This claim was made specifically in September after the law was reinstated (before it was eventually put on hold again). They argued students would not be able to get valid IDs before the election, which may have been a fair point at the time, but now students will have more than enough time to get a valid form before the spring 2016 primary.
U.S. Supreme Court blocks implementation of Wisconsin voter ID law
More so, while the university hasn’t released a statement about the recent ruling, new students could ideally be given Wiscards that have all the necessary information to pass as a valid form of ID. This could be implemented as the university gave out free voter cards for students last fall.
Finally, Voter ID laws have bipartisan support across the country. According to a 2012 Fox News Poll, 70 percent of Americans believe Voter ID laws should be implemented to ensure honest and fair elections including 74 percent of Independents and 52 percent of Democrats. These laws are not meant to disenfranchise or discourage citizens from voting, instead they strive to protect the integrity of our elections.
With around a year until the next election, the citizens of Wisconsin will have ample time to find a way to acquire an ID if they do not have one. Fraud exists in our elections and Voter ID laws are simple and reasonable methods for prevention.
Charlie Hoffmann ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in strategic communication and economics. He is a member of the College Republicans Executive Board.
Read the counterpoint from the College Democrats:
Point counterpoint: Voter ID is an unnecessary burden to citizens
