My daughter was just asked for id before she was allowed to vote

[bushisanidiot]

is this legal? I argued with about 5 of the workers there about it. she went back to the car and got her driver's license and showed it to them. they took a long time looking at it. i told them they weren't allowed to ask for id and they all insisted that this is how they always did it. i asked who told them to do it that way. the gal i was talking to said she "the election judge". i asked if that person was here. she said no. i asked who told her specifically to ask for id. she said that's how they always have done it and how else will someone prove who they say they are. i was furious!

they are asking everyone for id.

[spinbaby]

In PA they ID first-time voters

After that you don't need ID anymore and just sign.

[Jennicut]

1. I was asked for ID too, we always get asked, at least in CT.

[defendandprotect]

80. If you're registered to vote, that shouldn't be happening ....

[brendan120678]

86. In CT, you still have to prove that...

you are who you say you are and you live where you say you live.

Usually they ask for picture ID, but a copy of a municipal sewer/water bill, or a utility bill, sent to the address you are registered to vote from, is supposed to work as well.

[Jennicut]

112. Thanks for the info. I really thought nothing of it as I have been asked that since

I started voting in 1996 when I was old enough.

[bushisanidiot]

130. So homeless in CT can't vote?

then you've got 18 year old kids who are living at home, who don't have a driver's license yet and who aren't going to school. they have no way to prove they are who they say they are. they still have the right to vote.

[brendan120678]

135. I believe other valid forms of ID also include...

a Social Security card, or any other form of identification that has your name and address, signature, or photograph.
I believe you have none of the above, you can cast a ballot if you sign an affidavit at the polling place stating your name, address, and DOB.

[Throckmorton]

142. Yes, they can.

They can file an afidavit stating who they are.
Non-drivers in Connecticut can also get a state ID any place you can get a drivers license renewed. Both my oldest son and my daughter have them, and both are not driving, yet.

[Gormy Cuss]

152. It sounds like the purpose is to prove that you live in the district, not to prove your identity.n/t

[bushisanidiot]

154. But you already proved it if your name is on the voting rolls in that precinct.

.

[Gormy Cuss]

158. No, you proved it when you registered, how ever many years ago that may have been.

In MA as I recall some municipalities would purge names from the voting list if you didn't return the annual state census form but you were still on the provisional voter list and were given a ballot if you showed proof of residence.

[Poll_Blind]

2. What's preventing someone from going from polling place to polling place and voting in others' names

?

You have to prove you are who you say you are in some way.

PB

[RoseMead]

13. Not here, you don't

If you've voted before and your name is in the precinct book, that's all it takes. You do have to sign in, and I suppose the poll workers would challenge you if your signature didn't match the one on the book, but that's about it.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

22. Really? That's moderately appalling.

So if I'm good at duplicating signatures, there's nothing stopping me voting a dozen times?

[kath]

49. How would you be able to "duplicate" a signature you haven't seen?

Like someone said below, the signature (from when you registered) is kept ON FILE at the board of elections, or wherever, it's not in the book you sign on election day.

[woo me with science]

92. And who checks them?

Seriously.

[Red Knight]

95. Here in PA the signature IS on the book you sign in.

I always wonder why they don't ask for ID. They never do. Tell them your name--sign the book--done.

I guess if the real person showed up they'd figure out there was a problem but in a low turnout or whatever--maybe someone could buy a vote--I dunno.

I don't think that having ID would be a bad thing. At least your voter registration card?

[RoseMead]

116. Yeah, it's in the book here, too.

But honestly, how many people can duplicate a signature on the spur of the moment? I'd think that would be a very small risk. In fact, I've never, ever heard of it being an issue, and this is a state where some counties are famous for election fraud.

[defendandprotect]

How can you duplicate a signature you've never seen before .... or

are you suggesting that some Repug studies 8 or 10 signatures and then goes

to the polling places for them and duplicates them?

What happens if the voter has already been there? -- Arrest!

:eyes:

[Sugarcoated]

110. You'd have to know some names in the book in that precinct

and you'd only be able to do it once per polling place, maybe twice, when the shift changes.

What happens when the name he fraudulently tries to steal walks in to vote? It would cause a big problem. Maybe it could be done if . . .
1) he doesn't cross paths with the person who's identity he's trying to steal, or
2) the person who's identity he's trying to steal hasn't already voted, or
3) pollsters don't catch on

Not against showing ID, though, but even that can be faked.

[City of Mills]

167. Don't ask for ID in Mass.

I always thought that was a little weird, I walk into the polling place, they ask for my address, I give it to them, they say "Are you so-and-so" to which I say yes, I get the ballot and fill it out. Then go to the checkout, again, whats the address, are you so-and-so, OK...then drop the ballot in the counter.

No ID, no signature, no nothing. I wonder how they prevent voting fraud?

[uncommon]

29. You don't have to here either and there is no verification other than giving your name and

address. I think it's disgusting honestly.

[defendandprotect]

91. Don't you have to produce your signature?

Did they not cover up all the previous signatures?

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

58. In my district there is no sig on file with them......

....nevermind I signed the voter card 15 years ago......my sig has changed if they ever matched it.

[defendandprotect]

93. You're saying they don't ask you to sign a book which gives your

voting address and history of voting?

The older signatures are covered -- you sign on a new line --

???

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

102. Nope

A sticker with your name and address is in a book. When you state it, they pull it off, attach it to a slip, and you sign that. Nobody compares it to any signature on your original voter card, those are stored in our town hall. The slip is signed by two poll workers.

I suppose if someone raises a stink that someone stole their vote, they could check it after the fact and the poll workers could identify who signed, but good luck with that. The system makes no sense to me, and as I said......my brother as an election supervisor had someone who came in trying to vote on an old voter card that didn't live there anymore. Heck, technically my voter info is wrong because I'm under another address, even though it's the same district and polling place so it doesn't make a difference.

[defendandprotect]

108. So you did provide a signature ... which can be checked later....

Keep in mind, if you were not who you said you were -- and the person you were

attempting to impersonate had already voted, you would be immediately arrested.

The system that should be in place is a large book -- with your name and voting

history -- and a flap that goes over the signatures. They present you with a

new line on which you have to produce your signature ....

How many names, addresses, dates of birth -- whatever do you think you could

recall on Election Day to impersonate numerous voters -- and then to PRODUCE THEIR

SIGNATURES?

PLUS, worry whether any of those voters had already voted!!


:eyes:

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

111. Hey, I'm just telling you it's not hard

If I know a guy a moved away, and he wasn't around to vote I could go in and say his name and address and forge his signature. The sigs are not at the polling places. It's not right but no one seems to care much.

[defendandprotect]

120. They are scrupulous about that usually....you are WARNED if you are moving

NOT to vote until you REREGISTER ...

How many signatures are you familiar with enough to "forge" -- and get away

with it -- risking arrest?

You seem to have confidence that this is happening, but very little reason to

actually think so --

PLUS -- as Thom Hartmann will reguarly relate - despite GOP fears all evidence

has always shown this is NOT happening.

Try it sometime and let us know how it works out for you?

:evilgrin:

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

122. I'm telling you it can be done if one wants to take the risk

And I already told you that there is nothing there in front of the poll workers to compare anything to.

Heck, I signed my voter card in 1994 when I was 18.......my signature looked very different then than right now. No one has ever compared it or asked me to update it.

And as I said in post 71......my brother had a former resident of our house try to vote under our address with his old registration when he moved years ago.

[defendandprotect]

124. Good ... do it and let us know how it works out for you ....

:eyes:

[Sugarcoated]

125. Also

if it was such a great way to amass votes the Repubs wouldn't be trumping up the charges against Democrats, they'd keep it under their hat and be doing it.

[defendandprotect]

128. Exactly .... but once again, amazing what fear-based thinking can do -- !!!

Right wing propaganda still works --

Presses the emotional buttons and short circuits any real thought!!


:)

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

139. You can't do it in every state, obviously

I'm telling you what goes on here, at least in my town.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

138. Wow.

So because I said it might happen, I want to do it?

It seems I've given you a pretty big flaw in the system, I've answered your questions that we don't have the checks that you asked about and expected we had in place, and instead of saying it should be fixed to put those checks in place or say it is troubling, you've chosen to stick your fingers in your ears, mock me and dismiss it.

You don't think right-wingers are nefarious enough to try it themselves? This isn't a party specific issue if that's your implication. I think Republicans complain about voter fraud because they think about doing it all the time themselves. They doth protest too much.

[HughMoran]

166. Don't even have to sign-in where I vote - they simply check your name off

So, you can't vote twice, but it's possible an impostor could vote for someone who doesn't vote or is dead.

[kestrel91316]

15. Here in CA you sign, and that signature is checked against the one on file, IIRC.

[Poll_Blind]

18. I'm an Oregon voter and always vote by mail- I think tha'ts actually how they do it up here too.

I could be wrong.

PB

[apnu]

163. Same here in IL.

They have a book with your card in it and a copy of your signature. When you show up and give your name, they look you up. tear out part of the page and have you sign it. on the part still in the book is a copy of your signature and give you a number. They match the two and send you down the table to get your ballot with your number and you go to a booth and vote on the optical scan ballot.

[Raine]

179. I'm in Los Angeles Co here they don't even compare sigs

I've never shown anything.

[Xithras]

183. I'm in Central California. There is no ID, and no comparison.

The signature is only used for legal challenges (i.e., someone sues and says that someone else voted their ballot).

I just voted an hour ago. The guy asked me my name, and I told him. He handed me a ballot, I voted, and left.

No ID. No problem.

[pipi_k]

17. Exactly...I live in a very small town (only one polling place) so...

the poll workers know who I am now.

[WinkyDink]

19. You sign in and your signature is checked, that's how. You are ON FILE.

[kick-ass-bob]

34. Name and address are asked here in NC.

And then you sign. I assume if you have any hesitations they may ask for ID.

[NNN0LHI]

82. They went by my signature where I voted today. No ID needed

They had a copy of our signature in a book with everyone else's from when we all registered.

That should be enough.

Don

[defendandprotect]

85. How could someone "vote in YOUR name" .... ????

Can they duplicate your signature sight unseen?

Your signature is proof of who you are --

Old signatures are covered up -- you sign on a new line.

[mike_c]

97. I have never been asked to provide ID at my precinct....

I honestly can't remember whether I had to provide ID in other states where I've voted because I've been here for 15 years, but when I vote at my local precinct now, they ask for my name, I give it to them--verbally, usually I have to help them with spelling, they look it up in the registered voter list, I sign next to my name, and they give me a ballot. That's the whole exchange.

[Gormy Cuss]

151. I've never been asked for ID to vote in any of the four states where I've lived

except the first time I voted in MA, and even then it was proof of residence that was required, not identity (IOW, an electric bill with your name @ the address would be enough.)

[RoseMead]

3. What state are you in?

I know WV doesn't require *any* form of ID, as long as you've voted before and your name is in the precinct book. I walked in and voted with nothing but the clothes on my back.

[bushisanidiot]

12. Southern IL. I have been voting since 1984 and have never had

to show id.

[RoseMead]

20. Well that sucks

Can you contact your state officials about it?

[WildEyedLiberal]

42. Technically, in IL, they can ask you to show ID

I have never had to, but I vote in a very small county/precinct where the poll workers usually know who I am. But when I registered to vote I believe my voter card told me to show up to the polls with a valid form of ID.

[Tippy]

51. Same is true inTN......But since the Pukes won control of the State they are

changing a lot of things..It's more like a dictatorship.

[defendandprotect]

100. Hasn't Tennessee always been "controlled"

by Rockefellers or oil industry, or someone?

[Tippy]

148. In 92 when we moved here TN was very blue but now red

But by the time 2000 came around Gore didn't carry the state...and it has gotten much worse since that time

[defendandprotect]

96. Presume you're reporting this to someone?

[bushisanidiot]

117. I will after the election, yes. These poll workers are wrong and need

to be replaced by people who know the law and will follow it.

[babylonsister]

4. I was asked, too. I was also informed I'd need it, along w/my

voter registration card, so no surprise there. But I looked it up.

[ejpoeta]

ooh. i don't even know where my voter registration card is. though they send one

before every election.

[WinkyDink]

21. I'd take that to the County Democrats.

[FSogol]

5. Didn't they ask you for ID?

Here in VA, they started requiring that you have some form of picture id or your voter registration card. If not, you can fill out a provisional ballot. This became law here 6-8 years ago, IIRC.

[ejpoeta]

6. were you asked for ID? i have never been asked though i bring it every time.

weird thing is they STILL have not corrected my name. I got married in 2005 and I thought I had updated my info and they still have my maiden name signature. But they did never ask me for mine. Not sure if they are allowed to ask you. I would think they would have to ask everyone if they ask anyone.

[pipi_k]

7. My town does the same thing

I had to show my ID first couple of times I voted.

Now I don't.

[madinmaryland]

8. I just showed them my voter ID card. They asked for my birthdate as

confirmation. That's all I have ever been asked in MD.

[cbdo2007]

55. Yes - the Voter Registration card can be used as ID. Good point.

I wonder if the poster's daughter had that with her??

You can also bring a utility bill from your house, or driver license, etc.

I always just use my license because it's easier and I know I'll always have it with me.

[originalpckelly]

9. Well, anyone could just walk in and say they are you, right?

I see the reasoning behind it. I have always been asked for my ID.

[WinkyDink]

26. NO. Do you not have to sign in? Do you have to show ID using a store credit card? No.

YOU SIGN YOUR NAME.

[originalpckelly]

35. Can't someone forge your name?

[WinkyDink]

45. And they would know your handwriting how?

[defendandprotect]

101. Would they be willing to risk immediate arrest if you had already been there to vote?

[Still Blue in PDX]

40. Yes, the stores here ask for ID when you use a credit card.

I'm totally cool with that.

[WinkyDink]

50. Grocery stores? Macy's? Restaurants? I've NEVER needed an ID.

I can order off the Internet with just a CC.

[Codeine]

68. If we don't check ID and there's a dispute

we eat the charge. Retailers need to take care to make sure the person using the CC is who they say they are.

[Still Blue in PDX]

185. Yes. nt

[JanusAscending]

64. Chill WinkyDink!

There is no right or wrong answer! All states are different. It's up to the Sec. of State along with the election powers that be, to make the rules re voting. Each state CAN be different. I've never had to sign my name here in Ct. (except for on my absentee ballots now) If your registered and on the voting list they match your name and address with whatever form of ID you bring....and we in Ct. are not issued voting reg. cards. You only need to re register if you move to a different town or city in the State. We only have one polling place in my town. In other towns in Ct. that have multiple precincts, it's a pain in the ass if you move to a diffent precinct, because you have to re register!!

[WinkyDink]

89. I know, I know. But it's the placid acceptance of these post-2000-coup laws HERE that bugs!

[Obamanaut]

109. I have been showing ID to vote for many years prior to 2000. When store

clerks ask for ID when I use a credit card, I think it is one more step in preventing the fraudulent use of my card, and thank them.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

84. Where I am you don't have to

State your name.

State your address when they find it.

They peel a sticker off, attach it to a slip where you sign your name.

After the fact, it can be checked if someone complains that someone else took their sticker, but there is no signature to compare it to when you sign. They'd have to go to town hall, get the hard copy and compare it.

I could vote seven different places today in my town if I knew someone who was recently deceased or had moved or wasn't going to vote and not known by anyone at a given polling place and if they didn't know me. Heck, I could bring a ringer in from somewhere else.

[sandnsea]

33. Oregon has this nifty signature comparison computer

Much more secure than an ID, more fair too as you can only sign ONCE.

[donco6]

10. I'm always asked in Colorado. n/t

[Tippy]

11. What State?

[bushisanidiot]

Illinois.

.

[Tippy]

150. Come from the Centralia area myself......

[one_voice]

14. I was asked for id...

and I had to sign. Same for everyone I know.

[WinkyDink]

16. PA=NO WAY. You register ONCE; afterwards, all you do is sign your name and it's checked against your

original.

[JTFrog]

23. It's Law in Indiana.

:-(

[sandnsea]

24. Some states do, some don't

It seems to be in direct correlation to how many of "those people" might slip in and vote and we can't have that!

[kath]

60. Yep. It's all about "those people", and trying to keep them from voting. The elderly and the urban

poor often don't have driver's licenses or any other form of photo ID.
Get with it people -- this tactic HURTS DEMOCRATS, and the people that push for voter ID laws know it.

[sandnsea]

159. Read these responses

It always cracks me up, in a sick sort of way, when there is so much animosity against the votes of Blue Dog Dems -- and then you see the responses to a direct issue and it's quite clear that a large number of Democrats agree with those Blue Dog Dems so I don't know why people are surprised when they vote like conservatives. Same thing happens with immigration, and 2 years ago they were all attacking the poor instead of bankers, it goes on and on. Issue by issue, quite often self-described liberals can sound more like conservatives than they realize. It ain't all the DLC Dems, by a long shot.

[kath]

162. yep, It's VERY discouraging.

The ignorance, and the total buy-in to the RW spin. ACK! :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[Ganja Ninja]

25. I always have to present my drivers license before voting.

I see nothing wrong with it. It prevents someone else from voting in your place.

[uncommon]

It should be the law everywhere.

But it isn't so it depends on where you are.

[Gormy Cuss]

153. No. it shouldn't be the law anywhere.

It's just another way to dissuade and disenfranchise eligible voters.

[louis-t]

27. They have to make sure your name matches the registered voter on their list.

Small price to pay to vote. They cannot ask you for a birth certificate. If you are registered to vote, al;l you have to do is show them id.

By the way, that is the reason teabaggers cannot claim that Mickey Mouse voted, or dead people voted, or Acorn stole the election. Unless you have an id that says you are Mickey Mouse, you cannot vote under the name Mickey Mouse.

[Bill McBlueState]

131. unless someone named Mickey Mouse is registered to vote,

then there's no way this could be a problem. :shrug:

[Terra Alta]

28. wasn't asked for ID here in NC

Was just asked for my address, and had to sign. It's always been that way.

[aikoaiko]

30. GA law (O.C.G.A § 21-2-417) requires GA residents to show photo identification when voting in person

Its the law in Georgia.

[Iris]

94. And this time, they scanned the driver's licenses

[aikoaiko]

143. Not here in lil' Savannah. Scanning IDs seems excessive.

I wonder how they justify that.

[Iris]

181. I thought so, too, but figured this wasn't the time to quibble.

[Still Blue in PDX]

31. Before voting by mail we showed ID in Oregon. nt

[Obamanaut]

32. In the mailings from the supvr of elections, we were reminded to bring

picture/signature ID.

A driver license has both, as does a military (retired) ID card.

What is the problem with identifying who you are? With no ID, is it possible for someone else to vote in your place?

[JanusAscending]

36. It's been the law here in Ct.

for quite some time.In my little town, even though your name is on the registrar's list (address and etc. and party affiliation) as you go through the line they ask for your address,and after you tell them they look at your ID and then highlite out your name in the registery sheet. Those that don't have licenses, can use a library card or a utility bill with their name on it. I'm surprised to hear that it's not a federal law yet! I heard Elizabeth on The View this AM complaining loudly about NOT being asked for ID before she voted. I'm assuming she lives in NYC, where they are using paper ballots for the first time...this election!! It must be a state ordered mandate I guess, therefore all are not the same.

[napi21]

37. You always have to show your DL or State issued ID before you vote here in Ga.

It's listed on a big poster on the wall. It used to be that you could use a utiity bill addressed to you but I believe they did away with that a number of years ago. I also had to show ID in PA where I lived for 47 years. I always thought it was pretty funny because I knew all the poll workers. They wee not only my neighbors but we all belonged to the women's volunteers at the fire dept. I'd walk in, we'd all say hello (using our first names) then they'd ask for my DL.

[WinkyDink]

38. If you think this is a good idea, here's the company you keep:

http://articles.cnn.com/2008-04-28/politics/scotus.voter.id_1_voter-impersonation-voter-id-laws-voter-fraud?_s=PM:POLITICS

Writing for the majority, Justice John Paul Stevens said any political issues considered by the state were mitigated by its desire to stop voter fraud.

"The state interests identified as justifications for are both neutral and sufficiently strong to require us to reject" the lawsuit, he wrote.

But in a toughly worded dissent, Justice David Souter said "Indiana has made no such justification" for the statute "and as to some aspects of its law, it hardly even tried."

....Souter said, such a law "threatens to impose nontrivial burdens on the voting right of tens of thousands of the state's citizens."

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer also dissented.

Stevens was supported by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Anthony Kennedy. Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito backed the majority, but filed a separate concurring opinion, which called Indiana's law "eminently reasonable."

[kath]

66. Thanks for this.

Those of us who have been paying attention know that these voter ID laws are a Republican tactic to suppress voting. THe elderly and the urban poor often have NO form of photo ID.

[juajen]

176. Bullfeathers! I have plenty of ID and I'm elderly.

I am swamped with ID. I don't mind showing it at all. I don't want anybody else voting with my name, and believe me that would happen if ID wasn't

[AspenRose]

39. I was asked for ID

but was expecting to show it

[guitar man]

41. At least they asked for id

...and not the ego, I hate it when they do that :crazy:

:hide:

:yoiks:

[cbdo2007]

43. I would hope they're looking at everyone's ID or some kind of documentation at least.

Otherwise anyone could go in there and say they're you and vote. Then go to 10 other polling places pretending to be other people and voting and so on.

[librechik]

44. I have always been asked, too.

In fact, in voter instructions they tell you be prepared to identify yourself. I think it's legal.

[2Design]

46. always asked for id - how else can they tell it is you?

[Warpy]

47. That law got voted down in NM

because we have a lot of reservations and a lot of the old folks on those reservations don't have paper IDs. The reservations are like small towns and everybody knows who everybody else is, so the law would have been a silly one there. It also discriminates against shut in elderly and handincapped folks. It was a lousy law and I'm glad it didn't pass.

I still take my passport with me because the RNC tried to voter cage me out of a ballot two years ago. I pitched an unholy fit and ended up with a regular ballot instead of a provisional one but I want to avoid having to pitch that kind of fit again. It's wearing.

[Kaleva]

48. I've always been asked here in Michigan

[Pathwalker]

107. Same here in Michigan. Showed them twice. 1st, to sign up,

then before receiving ballot. I watched, and they were doing that to everyone, not just us.

[Kaleva]

123. I just had to show my ID once.

Then print my name, sign my name, then give my date of birth and current address on a card.

[demmiblue]

177. That is only a recent requirement in Michigan. n/t

[Kaleva]

180. Probably. For years I voted by absentee ballot as I was in the service

I thought about my comment later and maybe what I was doing was showing my drivers license without thought (and more out of habit like showing my military I.D when I was in the Navy) and without actually being asked.

[WillyT]

52. REPORT IT HERE !!!

Link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9443662

:kick:

[Moostache]

53. In MO. I have always kept my voter registration card and my driver's license.

They check the driver's license against the address on the voter rolls at your assigned polling place. Since I drive to the polls anyway, I have always had my driver's license and never given it a second thought.

[MineralMan]

54. Was your daughter a first-time voter? If so, she may have been

required in IL to show ID.

[bushisanidiot]

65. Yes she was. BUT they said that EVERYONE has to show id.

I said what about people who don't have drivers licenses or school id or a bill to show with their address? all americans over 18 are entitled to vote!!

[MineralMan]

72. That's not the law in Illinois. Call your local elections office and

report this right away. First time voters may have to show ID, depending on how they registered. Nobody else is required to do so. I looked up the law.

[moriah]

73. In my state, we were required to ask everyone.

If they did not have their ID, we had to look at the voter registration list to see if they were a first-time voter, and if so, if they'd showed ID when they'd registered.

If there was no mark in the precinct voter list showing they had showed ID when they registered, and they could not provide ID, they had to fill out a provisional ballot.

It's required that ID be shown at least once to vote in Arkansas -- either by registering in person and showing your ID then, or by showing it at the precinct after having registered by mail. But *everyone* was asked for their ID to make it easier for a) us to spell their names and b) so we didn't have to look specifically at that field to ensure they had shown it before at registration.

[WinkyDink]

56. ONCE AGAIN: 1. A signature is ALL PA requires. Gee, I guess we're just

full of voter ID fraud. NOT.

Secondly, all the RW Justices voted for Indiana's law, NOT the Liberals.

[moriah]

57. I worked the polls last election -- EVERY person was asked for ID.

It's Arkansas law.

Now, a person *can* vote without ID but they have to have shown their ID when they registered to vote for that to happen. If she's a first-time voter with no ID and mailed her voter registration in, here she would have been required to vote by provisional ballot if she couldn't supply her ID.

(Edited to change "year" to "election" since it was 2008... close enough)

[bushisanidiot]

70. She was a first time voter. BUT the poll workers said EVERYONE had to show id.

I took my son to vote at a different precinct down the road and he didn't have to show id. I voted at a different this morning and I wasn't asked. no one in the place was asked. I thought it was the law to not ask to show id. Not everyone has an id. Homeless people are just as entitled to vote as anyone who owns a home!

[nadinbrzezinski]

59. We all should have a National Voting ID

but in reality they should ask for one... not a passport mind you... like happened to me back in 2004...

Now these days, pleasantly, I was not asked for one... the poll worker recognized me and my hubby from the primaries

[Blue_Tires]

61. i've been asked for ID more often than not...(including today)

i just thought it was normal

[Fire1]

62. Standard procedure in my district. n/t

[WinkyDink]

63. This Indiana law was up-held ONLY by RW Justices on the SCOTUS. I can't believe anybody here

has fallen for the PHONY "Voter Fraud" R-W propaganda.
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_fraud_of_voter_id_laws

http://www.slate.com/id/2136776/

Even Indiana, before the SCOTUS, HAD NO EXAMPLES.
http://www.thenation.com/article/voter-id-fraud

National ID cards are FASCIST.

[moriah]

67. I'm just going by the law in my state, not saying I think it's right or wrong.

Not a single person at the precinct I was working was not allowed to vote.

We did have a few provisional ballots cast, but everyone was given the opportunity to vote, and Arkansas allows for the person to be informed by mail if their provisional vote was counted or not.

[kath]

74. Thanks. C'mon people, the problem isn't "voter fraud" (people voting when they shouldn't). The

problem is ELECTION fraud -- occurs on a large scale, involves hacking the machines, throwing out lots of ballots, voter suppression - by intimidation, lies, or by having way-too-few machines in Dem precincts so that people have to wait in line for hours (while there are PLENTY of machines in Rep. precincts), other assorted types of shady shit.

[bushisanidiot]

119. It's not voter fraud. It's a form of voter suppression. Not everyone has an id

or a bill with an address on it. They cannot make it a requirement to show id in order to vote in the united states.

[Blue_In_AK]

69. We always have to show ID.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

71. Most states....those people have a right to ask even if you aren't expected to produce it right away

I'll give an example of why....

My brother is an election supervisor in my town. In '08, he was at a polling place and noticed a familiar face. The young man was in line and he stepped forward to be checked in. His name and address was on file......

My Brother: "Where do you live right now?"

Young Man: "276 Smith Street"

My Brother: "No, you don't."

Young Man: (irate) "HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE I LIVE????"

My Brother: "Because I live at 276 Smith Street. I bought the house from your father in 2004, and I know you haven't lived with your parents since 2001."

Needless to say, the red-faced young man got out of there in a hurry.

If my brother didn't know him or wasn't there.......he would have voted illegally. Honestly, in my town I wonder how many get away with it if no one there knows them.

[ieoeja]

75. There is no ID requirement specified in Illinois law.

"Sec. 17‑9. Any person desiring to vote shall give his name and, if required to do so, his residence to the judges of election, one of whom shall thereupon announce the same in a loud and distinct tone of voice, clear, and audible; the judges of elections shall check each application for ballot against the list of voters registered in that precinct to whom grace period, absentee, or early ballots have been issued for that election, which shall be provided by the election authority and which list shall be available for inspection by pollwatchers."

Source: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=001000050HArt%2E+17&ActID=170&ChapterID=3&SeqStart=57000000&SeqEnd=60900000


Your right to vote may be challenged, in which case you have to take an oath, fill out some paperwork, provide TWO forms of identification bearing your address (which can be as simple as two mailings received in your name at that address), etc.

If they didn't do all that, then they are wrong.

[bushisanidiot]

115. Thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for.

They are asking everyone for id at this one precinct. I just wanted them to know that they are breaking the law by making an id requirement.

[lynne]

76. Big sign on precinct door in VA that we must show ID before voting -

- My neighbor was the poll worker and I had to show her my drivers license. No problem.

[defendandprotect]

77. Your signature is your ID .... previous signatures are covered ... and you sign ....

Presume you're reporting this?

Great way to slow things down!!

[JustAmused]

78. Normal I think

At least here in Kentucky. It is used to verify your signature on the voter roll. It is alos used to verify address information since you must vote in your own precint location. In every state I have voted in, this has always been the case.

[WinkyDink]

81. Did you read any posts above yours?

[WinkyDink]

79. Not common: only 26 states. NOBODY HAS TO provide ID, regardless! State by state info:

"In no state is a voter who cannot produce identification turned away from the polls—all states have some sort of recourse for voters without identification to cast a vote."

http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=16602

[Wednesdays]

83. In Oklahoma, the law is on the ballot this year

:(

http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Oklahoma_Voter_Identification_Measure_%282010%29

The Oklahoma Voter Identification Measure, or State Question 746, is on the November 2, 2010 ballot in Oklahoma as a legislatively-referred state statute. The measure is being sponsored by John Ford. The ballot measure proposes that voters should have to produce photo identification in order to vote. If passed Oklahoma will join 22 other states that have already passed voter identification requirements.

According to the bill, "proof of identity" is a document that includes: voter’s name, a picture of the voter, and is issued by the United States, the State of Oklahoma, or a federally recognized Indian Tribe or Nation. However, should an individual not have any of the previously mentioned forms of identification, a county issued Voter ID card is valid.

[geardaddy]

87. It depends on your state.

Here in MN it's illegal.

[eyeofdelphi]

88. I thought they weren't allowed to either

something about it being illegal to make people have to pay in any way to vote. to get your license in VA it costs freaking $36. i don't have an extra $36 just to get a new id with my new address.
when we lived in AZ during the 2008 election they actually made me go get a piece of mail and show it to them, even though the address on my id was right. then they told me my vote would only be counted if the outcome was close. i was so pissed off.
if they are going to demand a drivers license to vote, then they're going to have to make them free, like library cards.

[geardaddy]

103. That's what I remember, too.

It's about having to pay to vote.

[last_texas_dem]

90. In TX, ID is only required if you don't bring your voter registration card.

I'm a little surprised at the number of states that sound as if they require photo ID to vote.

[PopSixSquish]

98. I Have Always Had to Show ID Here in Georgia

and in CA too if I remember correctly...

[BlueCheese]

118. Not in CA...

unless it's new this year.

[Iggo]

121. It ain't.

You walk up. You give your name. They find it on the list. You sign. You Vote.

That's it.

[sinkingfeeling]

99. We must show an ID to vote here in Arkansas.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

104. I'm in NY and not once has been asked for ID. I'll find out soon if they ask for my son's.

He'll be voting in the district within the half hour. It will be his first time voting at this location. The last time he voted was last Nov and he was away at school and mailed in his ballot. If they ask for his ID, he's out of luck. He lost all ID a couple of weeks ago, and like I'm sure many 20 year olds, still hasn't gone through the process of getting new ones.

[fizzgig]

105. i've always had to show a photo id to vote

i thought it was common :shrug:

[Luciferous]

106. So what? I don't see why being asked for ID is a big deal...

:shrug:

[madrchsod]

113. nope..my family has lived in the same house since 73 and...

the lady next door gave me the ballot...

[juajen]

114. I give my voter's registration and Photo ID or driver's license

every time I vote. How else can we keep people who are not registered from voting?

[bushisanidiot]

126. That's not the point. It's a lot easier to keep someone who doesn't have id from

voting than it is to vote somewhere where you aren't registered. Suppressing the vote is done almost silently, as so many people who don't have the means to have their own home and don't have a driver's license for whatever reason, give up completely on voting since they know they'll be asked for information that they can't produce. They are ENTITLED to vote, but the poll workers who are demanding id are intimidating them into not even trying to vote.

[defendandprotect]

133. And a lot of GOP rw PROPAGANDA creating fear once again around this issue ....

Basically, anyone living here should be permitted to vote -- why not?

GOP are creating these hoops for us to jump thru because they know that the

immigrants they're taking advantage of would be voting for Dems --

We all need photo ID -- and give out our SS# willy nilly now -- because of Repugs.

And if you look at all those commenting here about how someone can vote in your

place it's obvious that right wing propaganda still works!!


:evilgrin:

[Bill McBlueState]

127. depends on the state

In Massachuetts I didn't have to show anything. In Ohio I do. Paranoia about voter fraud has led the less deep-blue states to do this.

[SteveG]

129. In DE it's required.

Has been for years.

[Ter]

132. Is that really that big of a deal?

Who doesn't have ID that's 18 or over?

[lunatica]

134. They always ask for ID. It cuts down on voter fraud

[kath]

172. VOTER fraud is not the problem. ELECTION fraud is.

unverifiable, easily hacked machines and optical-vote-counting apparatus, intimidation, limiting the number of machines in Dem-leaning precincts, etc.

[lunatica]

173. You're right. I stand corrected

Thanks.

[1776Forever]

136. In Ohio we are asked now for Picture ID but in the past we weren't - Had a problem with address

because the Ohio Motor Vehicle Dept, (which I used to work for at one time), only gives you a post card that gives your "real" address and lets you keep you "old" address on the driver license. My husband and I had to show the license and the card and they still questioned it! I had brought along utility letters with both our name and address on them too and finally we got to vote!

[RoadRage]

137. As long as they are asking EVERYONE.. I don't have a problem with it...

If they're only asking "some" people for it, or people who look or act a certain way - then I have a HUGE probelem with it.

I took my ID when I voted.. i wasn't asked, but I would have been fine providing it. I would have been far MORE pissed if they had said "Sorry Mam, it appears as though you've already voted today" because some jack-wagon decided to vote in my name.

[bushisanidiot]

141. So that someone would have to know that that was your voting precinct

and they would have to sign your name and match it to your signature that's on file, AND risk being arrested for voter fraud. Sorry, but people are not doing that. Suppressing the vote is much easier to do by asking for id, than voting fraud is to do by not asking for it.

[RoadRage]

144. I guess I don't see it as "suppressing the vote".

If a City / State has the same rules for everyone.. black / white / hispanic / gay / straight / rich / poor - then I think it's OK. Asking you to verify you are who you say you are before you vote to me is not "supressing". I frankly can not think of anyone over the age of 18 who does not have an ID of some sort.

Now, if they're only asking for ID from black folks etc, or people in poorer pricincts - I have a HUGE problem with that.

[kath]

157. How about an 80-year-old who lives in a housing project in NYC or Chicago -

how likely is she to have a driver's license or any other form of photo ID??

[kath]

161. "Suppressing the vote is much easier to do by asking for id, than voting fraud is to do by not

asking for it."

BINGO - that's it, exactly.

We do NOT have a significant problem of people voting illegal -- we DO have a major problem of unverifiable, easily-corrupted voting machines and various means of large-scale voter suppression.

[deaniac21]

140. Hmmmm, thats only happened to me....ummmm....every time

I've voted since 1969.

[Crabby Appleton]

145. In my stste Ohio, bring ID

http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/voterInformation/bringid.aspx

[Vidar]

146. Standard practice in Michigan.

[Hubert Flottz]

147. I showed my voter's registration card and that was all...

Here in WV.

[bigwillq]

149. In CT, you always have to show ID

before you vote. I am not really sure how it is in other states, but I would think you would have to show some kind of proof of who you are.

[hedgehog]

155. Upstate New York here - I sign the book next to a photostat of my signature from the last

election. The old books would have signatures from about 10 elections back lined up side by side. Now they print a new book for each election.

When we walk into our polling station which covers 4 districts, about half a dozen poll workers can identify me and/or my husband by name.

[laughingliberal]

156. I looked up our state laws before I went today cause I was asked for ID in 2006.

I bitched about it but showed my ID, anyway. Today, I found they will ask for ID here if it's your first time voting.

I noticed they compared where I signed to my signature from the previous election.

[B Calm]

160. What's the big deal? For over 30 yrs I been asked for my ID. . .

[Lorien]

164. Um, they always ask you for ID. That's how they prevent fraud

or did you just never notice before?

[okieinpain]

165. i'm trying to think. i know I always have to pick my name (OK)

and address out of the voters list, but I can't remember if I have to show ID.

[bushisanidiot]

184. You pick your name out of the voters list?

That doesn't seem right to me.

[JonLP24]

168. I think AZ recently changed the law

However I still don't vote with ID. I do mail-in and have the last 2 cycles. They never ask me for ID when it comes to that.

[gmoney]

169. I've been asked for ID for years voting in Ohio

I honestly don't have a problem with some verification of who is voting. If someone could just walk into a polling place, look over a registrar's shoulder and see that "Steve Smith" hasn't signed in yet, then say "Yeah, I'm Steve, let me vote" that certainly could lead to problems.

You have to show your ID to buy freakin' cough syrup, why not to vote?

Doesn't have to be a driver's license... I think a current utility bill with your name and address works too.

[gmoney]

170. I've been asked for ID for years voting in Ohio

I honestly don't have a problem with some verification of who is voting. If someone could just walk into a polling place, look over a registrar's shoulder and see that "Steve Smith" hasn't signed in yet, then say "Yeah, I'm Steve, let me vote" that certainly could lead to problems.

You have to show your ID to buy freakin' cough syrup, why not to vote?

Doesn't have to be a driver's license... I think a current utility bill with your name and address works too.

[proteus_lives]

171. I got asked for mine. Always have.

:shrug:

[sufrommich]

174. I don't remember ever not being asked for ID here in

Michigan.

[Raine]

175. I've never been asked for anything. I'm in Los Angeles

County in the burbs.

[LLStarks]

178. I was only asked for my signature here on Long Island. nt

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

182. I was asked to show ID

And I even had to sign my name.
Been the same for as long as I can remember.

I have no problem with showing some form of ID to vote.
Signing the book too ain't a bad idea either.