Action | Revise Valid Definition |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 8/4/2014 |
In order for the democratic system to function properly, every eligible voter must have the ability to vote, no matter their demographic characteristics. This right is fundamental to the beauty of the American system, which lies in its representation of every person. In order to keep this country one created by the people, for the people. and of the people, we must uphold this ability for all American citizens. Senator Obenshain's proposed definition of "valid identification" will restrict those who no longer have a valid ID, thereby limiting the democratic system.
Mr. Obenshain’s claimed reasoning for excluding expired identification pieces from the list of valid ID is to prevent voter fraud. The idea seems reasonable, but in reality is flawed in that Virginia has a negligible amount of fraudulent voting. Why fix a system that isn’t broken? This new regulation will cause more problems than it solves, disenfranchising citizens and bringing us back to the poll obstacles of the 19th century. In order to preserve the progress we’ve made in advancing the democratic principles which he hold so dearly, we need to stand by the State Board of Electors and stop Mr. Obenshain from skewing the voting demographic and stripping American citizens of their fundamental right.