Reply #9: Not true [View All]

[dragonlady]

Same day registration does require a form of ID showing place of residence (lease, utility bill, etc.), just not a photo ID. (Someone else vouching for the voter is also accepted.)

The reason the Democrats have opposed photo IDs is that many people especially in the urban areas don't have drivers licenses, move around a lot, or have a hard time getting to the DMV for a state-issued (non-driving) photo ID. It affects the poor differentially, because the more affluent are more likely to have a drivers license as a matter of course and more likely have an established residence (home ownership). The only way this could be made somewhat fair is to make the state ID free (not like a poll tax) and keep DMV offices open for more hours or set up satellite stations at neighborhood locations to give people more opportunity to get them. The state budget most likely doesn't have anything extra to implement this.

Same day registration is an excellent way to cure some of the problems of fraud that were seen in this election (e.g., shredding registrations of Democrats), when prior registrations are somehow lost by the bureaucracy, and in case people have to move during the period between the registration cutoff and election day.