Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Elections
 
Board
State Board of Elections
 
chapter
Voter Registration [1 VAC 20 ‑ 40]
Action Revise Valid Definition
Stage Proposed
Comment Period Ended on 8/4/2014
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7/17/14  8:53 am
Commenter: Donna Gerlaugh

Valid ID for U.S. Citizens
 

Only U.S. citizens have the right to vote in U.S. elections and only Virginia residents who are also US citizens have the right to vote in Virginia elections.  The purpose of an ID at our polls should be to:  1) show that the bearor of the ID is a U.S. citizen, 2) show that the bearor lives in the precinct of Virginia in which he/she wants to vote, and 3) ensure that the person is who he/she claims to be (most effectively done by comparing the person's face to a photo on the ID).  IDs should be considered valid if they show these conditions.  If an ID is expired by more than a short time (currently 30 days), even though its photo matches the bearor's face, it may indicate that the bearor's status has changed from precinct resident to non-resident; in this case, another recent document such as a utility bill with the same name/address on it would serve to support that the person is still a resident of the precinct and would be eligible to vote there.

In short, it seems that there are forms of ID on the current list of acceptable IDs that do not clearly show U.S. citizenship (i.e., Virginia university student IDs, military IDs (non-citizens can serve), valid employee ID cards with photo, etc.), and therefore are not valid, irrespective of their expiration date.  Until the U.S. Constitution is changed to allow non-citizens to vote in U.S./state elections, it is incumbent upon the voting system to screen voters to allow only U.S. citizens to vote. 

(I believe voter advocate groups should assist citizens to get a valid ID, if necessary, as well as to get registered to vote.)

 

CommentID: 33089