No debate on Voter Photo ID... yet
By Andy Sauer
Posted on Thu May 01, 2008 at 07:18:12 PM EST
The Connecticut State Senate unanimously approved the 17-year-old primary voting rights bill. The expected Voter Photo ID amendment and debate never materialized.
With the exception of a mini debate on an amendment that would put to state voters a proposal for referenda, the talk regarding the primary voting rights bill was friendly.
Stronger words came outside the chamber immediately after the vote. Senate Minority Leader John McKinney said proponents of Voter Photo ID didn't raise the amendment on the primary voting rights bill because they supported the underlying legislation. He promised a debate on Voter Photo ID before the session ended.
Look, let's be honest, there have been incidents of voter fraud in Connecticut -- absentee ballot fraud -- and people have been jailed over it. Voter Photo ID would not come close to preventing any absentee ballot fraud.
And, the voting done by people who have passed on. Even the story itself puts the blame squarely on local election officials. There are other options besides Voter Photo ID -- which would essentially deny roughly 500,000 people the right to vote -- to ensure those have died from casting ballots. Have local registrars improve procedures. Improve the state's centralized voter database. Transfer the duties of local registrars to the Secretary of the State's election division. Don't disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters.
There are a couple of bills expected to come before the state Senate before the end of the legislative session. E-mail your state Senator and ask them to oppose Voter Photo ID. It's not over yet.
Tags: Connecticut, Voter ID, voting, democracy, in the states, election reform (all tags)
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