Editor's Note: A former student of mine, who wishes to remain anonymous, has provided a good example of the kind of argument that is suitable for Another Think. Although she wrote the argument in 2012, it remains relevant today.
On
November 6th of this year, the American people went to the polls to
cast their votes in the 2012 presidential election. Millions of those Americans
were required to show some form of identification prior to casting their
ballot; however, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures
(2012), in twenty states and the District of Columbia, no law currently exists
requiring voters to show ID before casting their vote (Voter Identification
Requirements map). By allowing people to vote unchecked, the credibility of the
vote is being eroded. In order to protect the sanctity of the vote in America,
Congress should enact legislation requiring every state in the Union to have
some form of a voter identification law.
Over two hundred years ago, the
founding fathers set out to establish a government that would serve the people
living under it. One way the government was ensured to serve the people was
having the people elect the major officials of said government. The right to
vote is a quintessential aspect of America; it is one of the basic rights every
American has upon reaching age eighteen. President Johnson summed it up best by
saying this after signing the Voting Rights Act, “The right to vote is the
basic right, without which all others are meaningless” (as cited in Holder,
2012, p. 49). As one of the keystones of America, the right to vote must be
protected. By allowing people to vote unmonitored, people who do not have the
right to vote may be allowed to vote. By having people who should not be voting
included in the electoral process, the ballot of a rightful voter is being
diluted. Allowing one citizen to vote for a candidate more than once gives them
a heavier say in the results of the election, and no one American’s vote should
have more weight than another. Requiring voters to show ID prior to voting
would ensure that only people who should be voting are included in the ballot
count, and thus, voter ID laws would help ensure the sacred right of voting is
protected for the citizens of America.
By requiring voters to show ID
before they cast their ballots, voter fraud may be stifled in America. In
current times, there are numerous ways that voter fraud can be committed, and
by having no voter ID law in place, states are simply making it easy for the
crime of voter fraud to be committed. A former member of the Federal Election
Commission, writing in the National
Review, maintains that “voter ID can prevent voting under fictitious
registrations, double voting by individuals registered in more than one state,
and voting by illegal aliens” (Von Spakovsky, 2011, p. 30). Presently, in
states without a law requiring ID prior to voting, one could simply show up at
a polling place and vote using a name that may or may not be their own, as long
as it is a registered name. However, voter ID laws would ensure that voters are
indeed who they say they are, and that they are in fact eligible to vote. If
something so simple as requiring an ID prior to allowing someone to vote could
assist in eliminating factors, such as voter fraud, that degrade the electoral
process, it only makes sense for Congress to enact such laws.
In the marketplace, consumers are
often required to present an ID before purchasing certain products. Indeed,
consumers must provide proof that they are of age before buying even simple
things, such as duct tape or spray paint. If it is not too much to ask someone
to show an ID before buying an item, why is it too much to ask someone to show
ID before they vote? Voting is a much more serious issue than buying duct tape
is, yet in numerous states there are more precautions taken over who buys duct
tape rather than who casts a ballot in an election. Former U.S. Representative
Vernon Ehlers declared “every day millions of Americans show a photo ID to pay
by check, board a plane or buy alcohol or tobacco…Surely the sanctity of the
ballot warrants as much protection as these other activities” (as cited in “Are
Democrats”, 2006, p. 6). I argue, as Ehlers did, that the vote is much more
sacred than an everyday purchase, and as such, deserves much more protection
than it currently has.
Some opponents of voter ID laws
argue that voter fraud does not exist and that even if it does exist, that it
exists in such minimal amounts that it is inconsequential. However, voter fraud
does exist, and has been documented in numerous cases. In 2004, an article in
the New York Daily News revealed that
in New York alone, 46,000 citizens were double-registered, with voting
registrations in New York and Florida. Of those 46,000 voters, somewhere
between four hundred and one thousand admitted to voting in both states during
at least one election. It is important to note that President Bush won Florida
in the 2000 presidential election by 537 votes (Von Spakovsky, 2011, p. 30).
Initially, the numbers four hundred and one thousand may seem relatively small
when viewed in the scope of the millions of people who live in the United
States. However, when some elections, such as the 2000 presidential election in
Florida, come down to a matter of a mere few hundred votes, the ramifications
of even a small amount of voter fraud are clearly visible.
In order for the United States to
continue to be a country in which voting is a sacred, protected right,
precautionary measures must be taken to ensure that the sanctity of the vote
remains intact. One of the most important precautionary measures to take is to
allow Congress to enact a law that requires every state to have a voter ID law
in place. Such laws would prevent voter fraud and protect one of the key
features that makes America, America. If the right to vote is lost or eroded
due to people taking advantage of the system, the average American will have no
way to let their voice be heard and thus, America will cease to be a country
whose government truly represents its people. Congress cannot allow such a
disgrace to occur, and must do everything in its power to secure the right of
Americans to have a say in their government.
References
Are democrats
seeking voter fraud? (2006, September 25). Human
Events. Retrieved from http://www.humanevents.com/
Holder, E. (2012,
February). “Let us continue” … to protect voting rights. Vital Speeches of the Day, 78(2), 49-52. Retrieved from http://www.vsotd.com/
National
Conference of State Legislatures. (2012). Voter
identification requirements [Map]. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/legislatures-elections/elections/voter-id.aspx
Von Spakovsky, H.
A. (2011, August 29). Not a race card: Photo IDs are necessary to the integrity
of our elections. National Review, 63(16),
29-32. Retrieved from http://www.nationalreview.com/
