Action | Revise Valid Definition |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 8/4/2014 |
The ostensible objective of voter ID laws are to prevent voter fraud by ensuring that the person submitting a ballot is the same person listed on the voter registration rolls. If the picture and address on the ID match the name and address on the rolls, then that purpose has been served whether or not the ID has expired. Therefore, expired IDs should be accepted.
That said, it is abundantly clear that the real purpose of voter ID laws is to suppress the votes of people who may have difficulty obtaining current photo IDs, such as elderly, disabled and poor people, who generally vote for Democratic Party candidates. Given the extreme rarity of voter fraud and low voter turnout, we should do all we can to encourage people to vote, not make it harder for them to exercise what is the most basic right in a democracy.