The matter of any restrictions on ballot access should never be viewed as a question of Republicans or Democrats, or Whigs or Reform Party or Socialist Workers. It is a matter of small-d democracy. There is nothing more sacred than the individual right to vote, and that should never be trifled with in an attempt to gain a partisan advantage. The notion that the state must defend itself against voter fraud is itself fraudulent. The greatest risk of fraud in current elections derives from electronic voting without adequate oversight of the machines or a verifiable paper trail. But if the concern was truly about the rare case of voters attempting to vote inauthentically or more than once, that could be easily prevented through modern technology without risking the disenfranchisment or the loss of anonymity of any voter.  With regard to absentee ballots, the real answer is to minimize the need for them by encouraging more early voting. With sufficient early voting hours, only those who are physically unable to come to the polls would require an absentee ballot.