Issue One: Voter ID
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Why now?
In response to Jesse Sprague's letter that we have been in need of a voter ID requirement because it is so important ( "Not Hard to Get," Jan. 13), I would like to state that access to cigarettes or alcohol or being able to drive a car, get on a plane or a train or get into R-rated movies -- items he mentions -- are not rights protected by the Constitution. Voting is (see the 15th Amendment).
While an argument that obtaining an ID card is not discriminatory might have some merit, the real issue is that these bills are always brought up right before an election. The legislators have no interest in protecting elections from fraud; their only desire is to suppress voter turnout.
If Mr. Sprague is worried about "voter fraud," then he needs to contact his legislators and ask them to introduce their bills after an election. There might be less resistance. More important, if there is a worry about voter fraud from individuals who are not citizens showing up to the polls, one need only remember Ohio in 2004. It was not individual voters without picture IDs who were the problem, but the people responsible for counting the votes and the voting machines.
Congress and voters should spend more time worrying about who is counting the ballots, not who is casting them.
ERIC WILTROUT
Lawrenceville
Give fraud details
The argument pushing a voter ID law for Pennsylvania always points to polling place fraud. If specific evidence can be provided to support the need for a law, I would be persuaded to change my position on the subject.
Attorneys Kathleen Jones Goldman and Ronald L. Hicks Jr. ( "Voter ID Laws Are Needed," Jan. 17 Perspectives) take issue with an out-of-state attorney's "opinion" on the topic. They charge Keesha Gaskins with not knowing the facts about Pennsylvania but offer only vague evidence of the fraud they claim exists.
Ms. Goldman and Mr. Hicks "personally have witnessed" fraudulent voting attempts at polling places. Could they provide details (where, when)? They allege that "past elections were rampant with such activity." Again, provide the details. Finally, they claim that "at least two criminal prosecutions have been brought for voter impersonation" in Allegheny County. Exactly how many? "At least" suggests more than two. Why not provide the greater number?
Until it can be demonstrated that voter fraud exists to a degree requiring attention, it does not matter that 99 percent (cited in the commentary) of Pennsylvanians hold a photo ID. Let's see the evidence that an ID is now necessary to exercise a right.
KEN WERNER
Ross
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First Published January 22, 2012 12:00 am
