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!).
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?
