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The central database would be useless because a significant numbers of Americans think requiring proof of who you are is voter suppression.

dlp211 6y ago
No one thinks that. The fundamental problem is the recognition that the lack of a central database has led to citizens who have the right to vote being denied that right. Voting is a right, voting is a right, voting is a right. If the US government is going to deny a person that right, the burden of proof is in them.
- caseysoftware 6y ago
  > a significant numbers of Americans think requiring proof of who you are is voter suppression. > No one thinks that. > "Voter ID requirements limit the number of people who are able to cast a ballot." Ref: https://www.aclu.org/facts-about-voter-suppression https://www.aclu.org/facts-about-voter-suppression The first page of results for "id laws voter suppression" turned up similar statements from the WaPo, Atlantic, Wired, Vox, and quotes numerous politicians. Your "no one thinks that" is not in line with reality.
  - unethical_ban 6y ago
    Literally requiring some form of identification is not crazy. That said, the Republican path of establishing voter ID laws is often part of a pattern of "let's make it hard for the poor and working class to get proper ID, and to vote". Reducing early voting, not making ID cards free, etc. Voting should be a universal right in this country. The government should be putting in maximum effort to assist everyone who wants to vote, to be ready when the time comes, and enable early voting as much as possible.
    - DuskStar 6y ago
      I'm pretty sure some of the "ohmygod you're suppressing voters!" articles are about states with free IDs. (Or extremely cheap - for instance in Michigan an ID is $10)
    - 9HZZRfNlpR 6y ago
      ID cards are not free in Europe either and no you can't make them in each village. Every time this topic comes up here someone posts a vox article writing that you someone had to go to a bigger city to get documents because where he lives was 3000 strong population. Heck, there are places where you HAVE to vote by the law and yes it does take a small effort to get documents and keep them updated every 6-8 yrs.
- brandonmenc 6y ago
  > No one thinks that. Just about everyone I know who leans even slightly left here in the US believes that requiring ID to vote is defacto voter suppression.
  - buerkle 6y ago
    Because in many cases the states make it difficult to obtain a valid ID to vote. For example, shutting down DMVs or limiting their hours. I'm against voter ID laws until IDs are easily accessible to every voter.
    - brandonmenc 6y ago
      If we're talking about the presidential election, you have four whole years to get an ID. Also it seems like states are making it easier to get an ID [0] [0] https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/12/12/16767426/alabama-voter-suppression-senate-moore-jones https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/12/12/16767426/...
  - mulderc 6y ago
    Well it is, but only archaic voting systems would require it and this becomes a nonissue if states shift to modern system like those used in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and Utah.
- PeterisP 6y ago
  ID requirements are a form of voter suppression in places (like USA now) where the IDs aren't universal. If it's ensured that everyone does have the ID (like many other countries), then verifying that ID instead of the current voter registries does not suppress the votes of any group.
slg 6y ago
Progressives are against requiring voter ID because IDs are not ubiquitous and freely available. There would be no argument against voter ID laws if every American was guaranteed a free and easily acquired ID which would be more practical with this type of national database. It is usually conservatives that are against that policy of free and easy to acquire ID.
- ThA0x2 6y ago
  The IDs that are required to vote in Republican states are either free of charge, or they allow alternative ID documents. Texas being a fine example: https://www.votetexas.gov/mobile/id-faqs.htm https://www.votetexas.gov/mobile/id-faqs.htm There are free options that are easy to aquire. Not sure why there are so many myths about this.
  - slg 6y ago
    Which of those IDs is available for free? I just checked the state website and they charge for drivers licenses and state IDs and all the federal IDs require money. They at least offer the alternate forms of ID, but those still eliminate people. A homeless person is probably not going to have any of those documents on hand, but they have every right to vote. There is also the inherent problem of singling out people without ID for further scrutiny. This added "security" has notoriously been used as a method to suppress the vote over the course of US history. The simple act of requiring someone to state on a government form they can't "reasonably" obtain an ID is going to scare some people off from voting. What is "reasonable"? Am I going to be charged with voter fraud if I simply didn't want to spend the money on an ID? Will I end up in jail for voting? There is a chilling effect here.
    - ThA0x2 6y ago
      >Which of those IDs is available for free? I just checked the state website and they charge for drivers licenses and state IDs The Texas Election Identification Certificate ID is free. >and all the federal IDs require money. Wrong. Military and veteran IDs are federal IDs that are free of charge. >They at least offer the alternate forms of ID, but those still eliminate people. A homeless person is probably not going to have any of those documents on hand, but they have every right to vote. They wouldn't have been allowed to vote under the previous system either. This is a red herring. > There is also the inherent problem of singling out people without ID for further scrutiny. This added "security" has notoriously been used as a method to suppress the vote over the course of US history. There is no "further scrutiny". You either have the documentation that proves your eligibility to vote in your locality, or you don't. Studies showed that Voter ID laws have little to no effect on turn out. > The simple act of requiring someone to state on a government form they can't "reasonably" obtain an ID is going to scare some people off from voting. No doubt, but in Texas and in many other states, they are reasonably attainable, and have no fees. Somewhat of a straw man here. Again, studies showed that Voter ID laws have little to no effect on turn out. > What is "reasonable"? Am I going to be charged with voter fraud if I simply didn't want to spend the money on an ID? No, you just won't be allowed to vote. You won't be charged with any crime. Also, you don't spend money on fees, the above ID mentioned is free. > Will I end up in jail for voting? There is a chilling effect here. This is all conjecture. There is no chilling effect on requiring a free voter ID according to the studies.

dlp211 6y ago

No one thinks that. The fundamental problem is the recognition that the lack of a central database has led to citizens who have the right to vote being denied that right. Voting is a right, voting is a right, voting is a right. If the US government is going to deny a person that right, the burden of proof is in them.

caseysoftware 6y ago
> a significant numbers of Americans think requiring proof of who you are is voter suppression. > No one thinks that. > "Voter ID requirements limit the number of people who are able to cast a ballot." Ref: https://www.aclu.org/facts-about-voter-suppression https://www.aclu.org/facts-about-voter-suppression The first page of results for "id laws voter suppression" turned up similar statements from the WaPo, Atlantic, Wired, Vox, and quotes numerous politicians. Your "no one thinks that" is not in line with reality.
- unethical_ban 6y ago
  Literally requiring some form of identification is not crazy. That said, the Republican path of establishing voter ID laws is often part of a pattern of "let's make it hard for the poor and working class to get proper ID, and to vote". Reducing early voting, not making ID cards free, etc. Voting should be a universal right in this country. The government should be putting in maximum effort to assist everyone who wants to vote, to be ready when the time comes, and enable early voting as much as possible.
  - DuskStar 6y ago
    I'm pretty sure some of the "ohmygod you're suppressing voters!" articles are about states with free IDs. (Or extremely cheap - for instance in Michigan an ID is $10)
  - 9HZZRfNlpR 6y ago
    ID cards are not free in Europe either and no you can't make them in each village. Every time this topic comes up here someone posts a vox article writing that you someone had to go to a bigger city to get documents because where he lives was 3000 strong population. Heck, there are places where you HAVE to vote by the law and yes it does take a small effort to get documents and keep them updated every 6-8 yrs.
brandonmenc 6y ago
> No one thinks that. Just about everyone I know who leans even slightly left here in the US believes that requiring ID to vote is defacto voter suppression.
- buerkle 6y ago
  Because in many cases the states make it difficult to obtain a valid ID to vote. For example, shutting down DMVs or limiting their hours. I'm against voter ID laws until IDs are easily accessible to every voter.
  - brandonmenc 6y ago
    If we're talking about the presidential election, you have four whole years to get an ID. Also it seems like states are making it easier to get an ID [0] [0] https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/12/12/16767426/alabama-voter-suppression-senate-moore-jones https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/12/12/16767426/...
- mulderc 6y ago
  Well it is, but only archaic voting systems would require it and this becomes a nonissue if states shift to modern system like those used in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and Utah.
PeterisP 6y ago
ID requirements are a form of voter suppression in places (like USA now) where the IDs aren't universal. If it's ensured that everyone does have the ID (like many other countries), then verifying that ID instead of the current voter registries does not suppress the votes of any group.

slg 6y ago

Progressives are against requiring voter ID because IDs are not ubiquitous and freely available. There would be no argument against voter ID laws if every American was guaranteed a free and easily acquired ID which would be more practical with this type of national database. It is usually conservatives that are against that policy of free and easy to acquire ID.

ThA0x2 6y ago
The IDs that are required to vote in Republican states are either free of charge, or they allow alternative ID documents. Texas being a fine example: https://www.votetexas.gov/mobile/id-faqs.htm https://www.votetexas.gov/mobile/id-faqs.htm There are free options that are easy to aquire. Not sure why there are so many myths about this.
- slg 6y ago
  Which of those IDs is available for free? I just checked the state website and they charge for drivers licenses and state IDs and all the federal IDs require money. They at least offer the alternate forms of ID, but those still eliminate people. A homeless person is probably not going to have any of those documents on hand, but they have every right to vote. There is also the inherent problem of singling out people without ID for further scrutiny. This added "security" has notoriously been used as a method to suppress the vote over the course of US history. The simple act of requiring someone to state on a government form they can't "reasonably" obtain an ID is going to scare some people off from voting. What is "reasonable"? Am I going to be charged with voter fraud if I simply didn't want to spend the money on an ID? Will I end up in jail for voting? There is a chilling effect here.
  - ThA0x2 6y ago
    >Which of those IDs is available for free? I just checked the state website and they charge for drivers licenses and state IDs The Texas Election Identification Certificate ID is free. >and all the federal IDs require money. Wrong. Military and veteran IDs are federal IDs that are free of charge. >They at least offer the alternate forms of ID, but those still eliminate people. A homeless person is probably not going to have any of those documents on hand, but they have every right to vote. They wouldn't have been allowed to vote under the previous system either. This is a red herring. > There is also the inherent problem of singling out people without ID for further scrutiny. This added "security" has notoriously been used as a method to suppress the vote over the course of US history. There is no "further scrutiny". You either have the documentation that proves your eligibility to vote in your locality, or you don't. Studies showed that Voter ID laws have little to no effect on turn out. > The simple act of requiring someone to state on a government form they can't "reasonably" obtain an ID is going to scare some people off from voting. No doubt, but in Texas and in many other states, they are reasonably attainable, and have no fees. Somewhat of a straw man here. Again, studies showed that Voter ID laws have little to no effect on turn out. > What is "reasonable"? Am I going to be charged with voter fraud if I simply didn't want to spend the money on an ID? No, you just won't be allowed to vote. You won't be charged with any crime. Also, you don't spend money on fees, the above ID mentioned is free. > Will I end up in jail for voting? There is a chilling effect here. This is all conjecture. There is no chilling effect on requiring a free voter ID according to the studies.