Since I’ve come out in favor of requiring ID in order to vote, it’s incumbent to mention this
(Cleveland.com) A Portage County World War II veteran was turned away from a polling place this morning because his driver’s license had expired in January and his new Veterans Affairs ID did not include his home address.
“My beef is that I had to pay a driver to take me up there because I don’t walk so well and have to use this cane and now I can’t even vote,†said Paul Carroll, 86, who has lived in Aurora nearly 40 years, running his own business, Carroll Tire, until 1975.
“I had to stop driving, but I got the photo ID from the Veterans Affairs instead, just a month or so ago. You would think that would count for something. I went to war for this country, but now I can’t vote in this country.â€
As Jazz Shaw points out
This case should be instructive for everyone, no matter which side of the debate you come down on. When enacting voter ID laws, there need to be a few basic hurdles which all of them should pass. If you’re going to accept any existing forms of ID above and beyond a drivers license, identify all of them out there and work to make sure they will pass muster before enacting the law.
Like all new laws, this is one in which the kinks have to be worked out. Carroll was offered a provisional ballot, but, he didn’t have his glasses and couldn’t read it. Certainly, there has to be some common sense involve: sure, the DL was expired, but, it was assuredly Carroll. That is the point of an ID, to make sure the person is who they say they are. Combined with a VA ID, that should have been enough.
But, consider: with all the votes that have so far been cast in states that now require photo ID, this is the one and only case found (so far.) If there were others, the liberal media would be front paging it constantly. This situation provides a good way to test the laws and get them in order for general elections.
Consider: you can’t buy a car with an expired license, because the paperwork cannot be notarized (among other reasons, including state laws). Certified.
Just sent this message to the editor of my local paper:
I had an interesting but troubling experience at the voting precinct yesterday (#91). My wife was in line in front of me and showed her registration card. The precinct worker completed the ballot checks and never asked for her picture identification. She then completed my ballot without me showing any form of identification – not even the registration card. She realized it was my wife she had just processed and my name was adjacent to my wife’s in the voter roll book. I asked the precinct worker if she was going to check my picture identification and she say “no need.” I then mentioned that a check of the picture ID was the law and she still wasn’t interested. I repeated the fact that a check of the picture ID was the law and she finally asked if I wanted her to check my identification – yes please do since it is the law!
You also cannot open a bank account with an expired driver’s license; that’s federal law.
[…] The lovely Miss Anna Nova raised an issue on an unrelated thread, supposedly because there was no main post on THE FIRST STREET JOURNAL concerning the subject. Rather than write a separate article on the subject, I will refer readers to William Teach’s article on The Pirate’s Cove: Oops: WW2 Vet Not Able To Vote With ID […]
Rules are rules. I am doubting this story.. as he didn’t even have his glasses to read the ballot he was hoping to vote on? Then turned down a provisional? He couldn’t get anyone to read it for him?