Carter and Baker in the New York Times

[HomerRamone]

What do DUers think about this?

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/23/opinion/23carter.html?ei=5088&en=1e7272543db383e1&ex=1285128000&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

September 23, 2005
Voting Reform Is in the Cards
By JIMMY CARTER and JAMES A. BAKER III

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Here's the problem we were addressing: 24 states already require that voters prove their identity at the polls - some states request driver's licenses, others accept utility bills, affidavits or other documents - and 12 others are considering it. This includes Georgia, which just started demanding that voters have a state-issued photo ID, even though obtaining one can be too costly or difficult for poor Georgians. We consider Georgia's law discriminatory.

Our concern was that the differing requirements from state-to-state could be a source of discrimination, and so we recommended a standard for the entire country, the Real ID card, the standardized driver's licenses mandated by federal law last May. With that law, a driver's license can double as a voting card. All but three of our 21 commission members accepted the proposal, in part because the choice was no longer whether to have voter ID's, but rather what kind of ID's voters should have.

Yes, we are concerned about the approximately 12 percent of citizens who lack a driver's license. So we proposed that states finally assume the responsibility to seek out citizens to both register voters and provide them with free ID's that meet federal standards. States should open new offices, use social service agencies and deploy mobile offices to register voters. By connecting ID's to registration, voting participation will be expanded.

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In arguing against voter ID requirements, some critics have overlooked the larger benefit of government-issued ID's for the poor and minorities. When he spoke to the commission, Andrew Young, the former mayor of Atlanta, supported the free photo ID as away to empower minorities, who are often charged exorbitant fees for cashing checks because they lack proper identification. In a post-9/11 world, photo ID's are required to get on a plane or into a skyscraper.

MORE: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/23/opinion/23carter.html?ei=5088&en=1e7272543db383e1&ex=1285128000&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print