Letter:

Requiring voter ID cards is folly

Esmael E. Candelaria, Henderson

Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Regarding the arguments heard this past week before the U.S. Supreme Court about Indiana’s voter identification law, I knew that somebody would tie voter identification to illegal immigration. Sure enough, a letter by Roberta Lipman was published Thursday in the Las Vegas Sun claiming that the use of the voter identification would prevent illegals from voting.

I would like to see some facts and figures that will prove that. And since, as of today, that thought is only a theory, I will express my thoughts.

I think the largest percentage of illegals don’t give a hoot about voting. In the meantime, we legal citizens have to be harassed by the system.

Those illegals who feel they must vote will have no shortage of suppliers who sell false documents. That will just create another industry and then we must pass laws to punish those providers. They will be about as effective as our current laws against illegal drugs (no pun intended).

Additionally, how are the voting poll workers going to distinguish false from real documents? Ever since I started voting, I have admired and respected those workers, but if voter identification cards become common practice, I don’t feel I should be placed in the position to be judged by a person who doesn’t know me or works only every two or four years at election time. The possibility of discrimination looms very large.

Discussion: 2 comments so far…

By kindacurious

1/14/08 at 4:57 p.m.

Suggest removal

Discrimination? By verifying you are a legal voter? There was plenty of talk of voter fraud in the New Hampshire primary with the paper ballot,machine discrepancies and those voters who were encouraged to vote in New Hampshire from neighboring states. It's shocking to think anyone legal would object to checking their legal status. At the very least it might discourage illegals from voting illegally and risk being deported. Of Course the illegals will want to vote illegally for whoever has promised them amnesty. I'm for Ethical Change.
By azsk8fan

3/22/09 at 8:21 a.m.

Suggest removal

While it would be nice if it WOULD help stop illegals from voting it's not likely going to change a thing simply because ALL kinds of ID is being forged on a daily basis - the criminals will just add voter ID cards to their list of documents that can be had for a price.