# Voter ID law with 9+ year's notice in advance **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 21, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-id-law-with-9-years-notice-in-advance/702066 "2014-10-21T19:41:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2014, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-id-law-with-9-years-notice-in-advance/702066/221 "2014-11-02T12:05:45Z")
I am vehemently opposed to all the voter ID laws imposed in the US in recent years. I followed the SDMB threads on this carefully two years ago, and occasionally contributed to those discussions. However, I’m one of the few in this poll who chose “okay with introducing them slowly” – as long as it’s universal and its implementation is well funded, complete, and even-handed. Maybe I feel it’s okay because I lived in Mexico, where it’s been standard practice forever, and even leftist student protestor types don’t give it a second thought. (Claims of, and fear of, “voter fraud” is still ridiculously overblown in this country by voter-ID proponents, but what the heck, let’s just shut 'em up by giving them what they want. Maybe my being the father of a four-year-old contributes to my favoring this approach sometimes!). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-id-law-with-9-years-notice-in-advance/702066/222 "2014-11-02T20:05:57Z")
If we’re really worried about electoral fraud or whatever, then we should just do what developing countries do when they start setting up democratic elections: When you vote, your thumb gets marked with permanent ink. Show up to vote again with a blackened thumb, and they can tell you’ve already voted. The net expense is much less than getting IDs for everyone, it requires less work by the poll workers (when was the last time you actually compared a person to the picture on their ID?), and it’ll be more effective. Plus, the voters can wear their blackened thumbs as a mark of civil pride. Now, why do you suppose it is that Republicans never propose this solution? ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-id-law-with-9-years-notice-in-advance/702066/223 "2014-11-05T23:19:00Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > The only “problem” that voter ID fixes is that of minorities voting in ways that displease Republicans. The purpose of voter ID is to steal elections for Republicans by suppressing likely Democratic voters. There may be some individuals who believe there actually is a problem that voter ID would solve but the driving force behind this evil movement are Republicans trying to rig elections. > > I don’t care how “free” you claim your ID scheme is. First of all, you need a birth certificate. Maybe you were born 60 years ago across the country. You may not even know what county you were born in. So you have to figure out who to contact at the state level and have them research where you were born so they can either get you a copy or refer you to the right county. Then of course you have to write a check, assuming you have a checking account. Once you’ve done all that legwork, prepare to have to figure out where to get your state ID. Maybe you don’t have a car and there’s no public transportation or your job happens to coincide with the agency’s office hours. Gonna take a day off, lose a day’s pay, maybe even get fired to get that “free” ID? And how are going to even get there? The truth is, you’re going to make a hard choice of giving up your right to vote or going through a financial hardship, in some cases a very significant hardship. It also sometimes requires the ability to do the legwork to figure out who to contact and where to go. It may require sending money across the country, money you may not have and you may not even have a checking account. So for that “free” ID, you may have to find a way to get to a place that sells money orders, not to mention find the money to send. > > All of this bullshit to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. Oh my god…how do people on your planet survive? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-id-law-with-9-years-notice-in-advance/702066/224 "2014-11-06T00:43:26Z")
> [@Uncommon\_Sense](#): > > Oh my god…how do people on your planet survive? The factual answer to this is: very poorly. Otherwise stated as it’s hell being poor. Try it; you won’t like it. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-id-law-with-9-years-notice-in-advance/702066/225 "2014-11-06T00:51:01Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If we’re really worried about electoral fraud or whatever, then we should just do what developing countries do when they start setting up democratic elections: When you vote, your thumb gets marked with permanent ink. \*\*Show up to vote again with a blackened thumb, and they can tell you’ve already voted. \*\* Um, what if a voter washes the ink off their fingers? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-id-law-with-9-years-notice-in-advance/702066/226 "2014-11-06T00:57:12Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Um, what if a voter washes the ink off their fingers? 😕 You use the right kind of [ink.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election_ink) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-id-law-with-9-years-notice-in-advance/702066.md?page=11)