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The main issues with election integrity in the US are all the tactics used to cull voter lists (often removing legitimate voters), make it less convenient to vo

The main issues with election integrity in the US are all the tactics used to cull voter lists (often removing legitimate voters), make it less convenient to vote (e.g., getting rid of early voting, not enough polling stations, voting only on workdays), and of course, gerrymandering (rigging district boundaries to allow one party to win far more seats than its overall vote share would imply). It would be sensible to have a national ID in the US and to use it in voting, but in practice, the voter ID issue is simply used by the Republican Party as another tactic to restrict voting. They know that Democratic voters are less likely to have ID, they intentionally include/exclude various forms of ID based on the voter demographics, and they are generally against measures that would ensure that every valid voter obtain ID. So yes, in a vacuum, voter ID sounds obvious. However, when you see how the issue is actually used in American politics, it's actually pretty sinister.

clarionbell 5y ago
Seems like proper solution would be to just issue IDs to people, maybe do it like in Czechia and dispense them against other proof of eligibility, like birth certificate, with an administrative charge for the paperwork. From where I sit it's a win. Administrative work will be easier, all cases of fraud will be harder, and arguments of nutjobs weakened. Not to mention the fact that people would trust the election process more, with all the added benefits. Really, voter IDs seem like a stupid hill to die on. Especially if you are already dealing with low trust in political system and cultural divides.
- DiogenesKynikos 5y ago
  Well, the very same party that is arguing for voter ID opposes efforts to make it easier to obtain ID. The debate over voter ID isn't a rational debate about how to make elections more secure. It's just another battleground in which the Republican Party sees an opportunity to shift election outcomes slightly in their own favor. They're not interested in a rational, balanced solution like you're proposing, because it might end up shifting election outcomes in the "wrong" direction. When you look at the list of election measures the Republican Party supports/opposes, it becomes quite clear what their goal is. They're against early voting, automatic voter registration, absentee voting (except for the military) and making election day a holiday, but they're in favor of voter ID and they engage in very heavy gerrymandering (leading to a divergence between national vote shares and numbers of seats won).

clarionbell 5y ago

Seems like proper solution would be to just issue IDs to people, maybe do it like in Czechia and dispense them against other proof of eligibility, like birth certificate, with an administrative charge for the paperwork. From where I sit it's a win. Administrative work will be easier, all cases of fraud will be harder, and arguments of nutjobs weakened. Not to mention the fact that people would trust the election process more, with all the added benefits. Really, voter IDs seem like a stupid hill to die on. Especially if you are already dealing with low trust in political system and cultural divides.

DiogenesKynikos 5y ago
Well, the very same party that is arguing for voter ID opposes efforts to make it easier to obtain ID. The debate over voter ID isn't a rational debate about how to make elections more secure. It's just another battleground in which the Republican Party sees an opportunity to shift election outcomes slightly in their own favor. They're not interested in a rational, balanced solution like you're proposing, because it might end up shifting election outcomes in the "wrong" direction. When you look at the list of election measures the Republican Party supports/opposes, it becomes quite clear what their goal is. They're against early voting, automatic voter registration, absentee voting (except for the military) and making election day a holiday, but they're in favor of voter ID and they engage in very heavy gerrymandering (leading to a divergence between national vote shares and numbers of seats won).