Statistics show we need a law

By Quentin Wagenfield

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More and more states worry about voter fraud and are planning to pass laws requiring voters to show identification when voting, preferably with a photo ID. Thirty states now require identification - 14 require photo ID and 16 accept non-photo ID. Except for Oregon, Vermont and Wyoming, all other states, including Iowa, took some action on voter ID laws this year.

States planning these laws often assume that requiring voter identification would not be opposed - after all, we show ID when we travel, cash checks, check out books, or engage in many other activities. Instead, they often face a firestorm of opposition.

The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law is probably the most vocal objector, stating that “personal impersonation fraud has not been a serious problem,” and voter ID “disproportionately disenfranchises people of color and those of lower socioeconomic status.”

In Indiana, those opposing the state's strict photo ID law took it to court. The case ended up at the U.S. Supreme Court, which voted to uphold the law. Justice Stevens, who wrote the 6-3 decision, stated that “flagrant examples of such fraud have been documented throughout this nation's history by respected historians and journalists.”

Von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation writing in the National Review, states: “In addition to deterring and preventing impersonation fraud, voter ID can prevent voting under fictitious registrations, double voting by individuals registered in more than one state, and voting by illegal aliens.” He then cited three examples of fraud:

l Dozens of Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) employees were prosecuted for voter registration fraud.

l In 2004, 46,000 New Yorkers were registered in both Florida and New York, and between 400 and 1,000 had voted in both places in at least one election.

l A U.S. defense attorney on a Chicago grand jury recently estimated at least 80,000 illegal aliens were registered with dozens indicted and convicted of registering and voting. He also refutes the claim that blacks are disenfranchised by photo ID laws. In Georgia elections, for example, of the registered black voters in the 2006 congressional election (no photo ID),

42.9 percent voted, while in 2010 (with photo ID), 50.4 percent voted.

In Iowa, Secretary of State Max Schultz leads the fight for requiring a photo ID before voting. He successfully campaigned against incumbent Michael Mauro on this issue in the 2010 election. This year, a House bill, patterned after the Indiana law, passed 60-40 over Democratic opposition that labeled it “a solution in search of a problem.” They also asked, “Where is the fraud?” This was easy to answer: floor manager Renee Schulte reported that seven counties in Iowa have more registered voters than people of voting age.

In the Senate State Government Committee, the Democratic majority killed the bill with all seven Republicans supporting it. Several Democratic committee members said they were listening to county auditors who opposed the legislation. Schultz stated that some objected to the bill, but specifically said they were not opposing the concept of photo ID legislation.

He concluded, “Now Senate Democrats are trying to use county auditors as a cover for not supporting photo ID legislation.” He intends to propose this legislation again in 2012.

Schultz is to be commended for leading the way to a more secure and honest voting system for Iowa's election process.

Quentin Wagenfield, retired from Rockwell Collins as a technical writer and programmer, is a freelance writer from Cedar Rapids. Comments: wagen@q.com