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.
