Mar
29
2011
A bill introduced into the Ohio legislature earlier this month by Republican Representative Bob Mecklenborg would be the most extreme voter ID law in the country. Mecklenborg introduced the “Ohio Fair and Secure Elections Act” saying it was meant to “secure the integrity of the electoral process.” As the bill is currently written, on election day, Ohio voters will be required to present either a valid drivers’ license from Ohio, an Ohio state ID card, a military ID card, or a U.S. passport. The basis of this law, and other previous efforts around the nation, is the risk of voter fraud. However, instances of voter fraud are so negligible that one state-wide survey cites a rate of 4 fraudulent votes cast out of over 9 million in 2002 and 2004 – a rate of 0.00004%. Since those least likely to have the required forms of ID are the elderly, youth, and minorities, a majority of whom vote Democrat, the bill is being characterized as a blatant political ploy in advance of the 2012 elections. Because of the quirky nature of national elections, the state of Ohio is often a crucial swing state. Whoever wins the vote in Ohio can count on 20 electoral votes to decide a national election. President Obama won Ohio by a 5 point margin in 2008, and defeating Obama in 2012 is, of course, the GOP’s top priority. Ruth Colker, the Heck-Faust Memorial Chair in Constitutional Law at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law says if HB 159 is passed, it would be “the most extreme photo ID law in the country.”
GUEST: Ruth Colker is the Heck-Faust Memorial Chair in Constitutional Law at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law.
I wonder if Professor Coulker allows her students to take exams without any supervision (e.g., verifying that they are not having someone else take the exam for them). I am also a professor and teach large classes where we do this routinely. Why? Because it ensures the integrity of the process. Voting is the core process of democracy and ensuring its integrity is paramount. This is especially important in the context of large amounts of illegal immigration. Requiring id is a very basic requirement that even most Democrats agree with. If interested, see truethevote.org, with which I am not affiliated but found it recently and thought I would pass it on.