Mail out ballots then require an ID when you turn it in. Make it easier to get an ID if that's a problem. It seems pretty simple to me. Not sure why anyone would be against this.
Because the same people trying to make IDs required also want them to be harder to get, not easier.
Here's a list of things that require government ID right now, off the top of my head:
* Getting a job
* Accepting free food from a food drive
* Getting a bank account or loan
* Buying alcohol or cigarettes
* Buying a gun
* Getting a tattoo
* Picking up a package
* Driving a car
* Buying a plane or train ticket
* Viewing an apartment or house to lease/buy
* Forwarding your mail or setting up a PO box
* Joining a gym
* Setting up your gas/electricity/cable/internet
* Getting a phone with service
* Entering a nightclub
The people repeating this myth are smart enough to know better so one must assume they intend to have people who can't obtain ID via legal means, voting.
As you can see there is a fee associated with it.
Technically you do not have to present ID in Texas[1], but the requirements to not present an ID are so onerous you would easily be able to afford an ID before you could meet them. Because not only do you have to provide one of these documents, you also have to prove you cannot reasonably obtain an id... But the requirements are such that if you have the ability to provide one of these documents, you almost certainly have the ability to obtain an id. So the state will say "Well, you're able to obtain this document, why can't you get an ID?" and invalidate your vote. So the de-facto result is that you need an ID.
And this argument handwaves away, as the above links demonstrate, the significant amount of hurdles required to get an ID in Texas, which is not only paying a fee.
From your link:
Here is a list of the supporting forms of ID that can be presented if the voter does not possess one of the forms of acceptable photo ID and cannot reasonably obtain one:
copy or original of a government document that shows the voter’s name and an address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate; copy of or original current utility bill; copy of or original bank statement; copy of or original government check; copy of or original paycheck; or copy of or original of (a) a certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document).
Find a state where you have to pay for ID and you require ID to vote if it's such a problem.
There are identication requirements to get an ID, but that goes for any state. You have to have that to prevent identity theft. If you move to a new state you can usually turn in your old ID with like one other thing to get a new one in that state.
> if you can't afford $30 every 8 years there is something very wrong with you.
I don’t think it should be a requirement to be normal or “right” to be able to vote, from whatever perspective it is you’ve got on the world.
The only way to reliably ensure one person gets only one vote without requiring ID is to use biometrics or something. I would not be opposed to having that option either, because it would put this debate to rest. So, either provide an ID or verify your fingerprints, your choice.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/chal...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/getting-a...
Because of all the edge cases. Some people do not have ID. Some have ID but it doesn't match their current address. Some people have ID but the same name+address as a dead person (not uncommon when people inherit houses from dead parents). Most people would be fine with ID requirements if they could trust that these edge cases will not be leveraged by some local volunteer with an agenda. In the never-ending 50-50 split of US politics, edge cases are too often the decider. See Florida 2000, where those who couldn't properly punch a hole in a piece of paper ended up deciding the presidency.
There needs to be accountability when it comes to voting. Mail is not acceptable for voting, especially if you make it as inconvenient as voting in person.
What I would like is to make voting day a holiday. Then we can put all these absurd arguments about how people can't get to the polls with valid ID to rest. Let the people who must work on election day vote early. Vote on paper, none of this unaccountable and glitchy electronic garbage. We have more tech than ever and our elections take longer to count than those in countries that use paper.