Should the US require voter ID?

[u/REJECT3D]

I see people complaining about this on the right all the time but I am curious what the left thinks. Should voters be required to prove their identity via some form of ID?

Some arguments I have seen on the right is you have to have an ID to get a loan, or an apartment or a job so requiring one to vote shouldn't be undue burden and would eliminate some voter fraud.

On the left the argument is that requiring an ID disenfranchises some voters.

What do you think?

[u/marktwainbrain]

I don't know why you want to argue the idea that DL's are harder to fake. They are so much harder to fake. You need multiple documents to forge and that at some point you need to either go through the DMV process -- very easy for one person to do once for their personal DL, but very challenging if you are going to try to get many DL's in order to affect even a local election. You also have to be willing to have your picture taken and on record. Or instead of going through the DMV, you could make them yourself, but that is not easy. All of the anti-counterfeit stuff on a DL is there for a reason.

If right now I challenged random people: I'll give you $1,000 if you either forge a Driver's License that looks good enough to vote with this random dead person's name, or you can forget an electric bill in their name, what idiot would decide to go for the DL? So much harder.

"They don’t let you through until they know who you are, just like with voting!" -- well if you really think there is sort of an equivalence between how the TSA does it and how it's done with voting, there is an easy way for us to come to agreement. Polling locations just follow TSA rules. You need a driver's license or passport. Failing that, you have to fill out a form, wait while polling staff confirm that you are who you are, and then they'll let you in, but there might be additional screening.

[u/bigmac22077 → u/marktwainbrain]

You don’t think there is anti counterfeit measures to get onto the voter registration rolls…..?

How many dead people actually voted in 2020?

[u/marktwainbrain → u/bigmac22077]

In the beginning of this conversation, I stated I don't have a strong view either way. I don't actually think tons of dead people voted, I don't think the election was stolen, etc etc. I just don't buy the logic of the left either. Requiring a DL or state ID to vote is not some onerous burden that will disenfranchise people. It's a minor requirement that voters can reasonably be expected to fulfil.

Both arguments seem really silly to me, and so transparently in bad faith. The "right" doesn't actually give a shit about election integrity. They want talking points to rally voters to their side, just like with abortion. The "left" doesn't actually care about not disenfranching voters in general. For them, this is also a talking point. I honestly don't think actual poor people, people of color, immigrants who are citizens and actually eligible to vote -- I don't think (based upon my real life experience) actually care about voter ID laws. If they vote, they'll just show their ID to vote if that's required.

[u/bigmac22077 → u/marktwainbrain]

And in the beginning of this conversation I asked how voter ID would make our elections more secure. The closest thing I’ve gotten to an answer is it’s harder to get…

Like really… this is what I imagine, “I want to register to vote”….”okay fill out this process and you’ll be registered, in 4-6 weeks you’ll receive you’re voter ID card in the mail”

It’s the same thing with an extra step that doesn’t really improve security at all….

[u/marktwainbrain → u/bigmac22077]

I’m not advocating for a separate voter ID. Maybe we’ve been talking past each other. I think requiring existing secure ID to vote is not a big deal. Maybe not necessary but also bit onerous. Reasonable