Photo Finish for Voter ID Case
In a case with major implications for the upcoming election, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday in a voter ID suit brought by the Indiana Democratic Party and the ACLU. Both organizations claim that the current law, which requires voters to present a government-issued picture ID on Election Day, imposes an unconstitutional burden on Indiana residents. To help alleviate the nuisance for the small population (1%) without IDs, Indiana allows voters to get free, state-sponsored picture IDs at their local DMV. The law even makes special accommodations for those who arrive unprepared on Election Day. Voters may cast provisional ballots then travel to their county seat within 10 days with the proper identification and validate their vote. If Indiana's law is upheld, it paves the way for other states to impose similar rules and ultimately crack down on the voter fraud that has become so prevalent in recent years. Even Justice Anthony Kennedy implied that he didn't consider the law unreasonable. "You want us to invalidate a statute on the ground that it's a minor inconvenience to a small percentage of voters?" Attorney Paul Smith argued that some people would be required to travel as far as 17 miles by bus to reach their county seats. What a sad commentary on our nation. Has America, the torchbearer of democracy, whose men and women are fighting at this very moment on its behalf, become so indifferent to our freedoms that we wouldn't travel 30 minutes to exercise them? Need we remind Mr. Smith what Iraq, South Africa, and many other countries have sacrificed to embrace the liberty Americans are so quick to take for granted? While I don't underestimate the challenge this law presents to some Hoosiers, obtaining a picture ID is certainly a small price to pay for protecting the integrity of the democratic process.
Family Research Council
