When the SBE, now the DOE, decided to make the new photo ID requirement as fair as possible by offering free photo IDs to those who cannot get them any other way, it made its decision about the true nature of that requirement.  The SBE devised a straightforward method and provided electronic devices across the state to produce an ID with the person's photo and name, which had been verified when the General Registrar or election office staff checked it in VERIS. 

That was it. The bottom line requirement set by the state itself was to be that the voter had to stand in front of the election officer showing a document with a photo of him- or herself accompanied by a name that matched the name on the poll book. The baseline state-issued document should be the standard by which the acceptability of all others is measured, for voting purposes.

The state needs to move forward in its original spirit of extending fairness to all. Many persons, particularly the elderly, have photo IDs that show who they are, even if they can no longer drive. These people need to be informed without ambiguity or vacillation that they can bring their photo IDs to the polling place without fear of being challenged.

Yours sincerely,

Sidney Johnson