‘Grok reader John D (and being that I am on his email list, put up things that he sends around from time to time. This time, NH Rep. Horrigan decided to tangle with John concerning Voter ID:
Under existing NH law, the state would have to pay for the “free” voter IDs. NH’s proposed legislation (which is not identical to Indiana law) would cost millions of dollars to solve a problem which (going by the hard data) is almost nonexistent.
Now, given everything else that the State seems to pay for, I’d be more than willing to move budgetary priorities around such that other things would not paid for to ensure that the integrity of the vote, MY vote, would be protected. Fraudulent voting weakens not only the process but the whole idea of the right and responsibility of being a citizen. And knowing that my vote, as well as all other citizens’, would be protected, I (the normally tight fisted fiscal conservative) would grudgingly happily pay for that.
Well, John decided to take Timothy to task by listing a few “lesser priority” items for which photo ID is mandatory (both in the private AND public sectors):
Actually, they are referred to as a “Non-Driver ID”. Since all New Hampshire issued driver’s licenses include a photo, those who don’t or no longer drive have found a need for a phote ID:
Airports, Hospital, Pharmacy, Donating blood, Banks & Credit Unions, Gun Shop [to purchase a firearm -Skip], Writing a check, Adoption agency, Social Security office, Pawn shop, Jail, Using a credit card, Court
UNION ELECTIONS
Collecting large lottery winnings, VA (Veteran’s Administration) program participants, Purchasing liquor, Purchasing cigarettes
Applying for:
Welfare, Food Stamps, WIC
With all due respect to the latter three category-recipients, they are usually (though NOT always) the POOR; the same people who cannot afford to pay for those photo-IDs. Therefore, I am curious whether people in that category are given the necessary PHOTO ID as part of the program’s application procedure.
Rep. Horrigan: I find your arguments weak.
American citizens are merely attempting to PROTECT their right-to-vote by not compromising that right through fraud. The voting-process must, therefore, be protectedby ANY and ALL means. A photo ID does NOT in any way disenfranchise the voter….any voter; it only signifies the voter is the legal voter.
The repeated call for a photo ID in order to vote is not going away anytime soon.
Respectfully,
John Diefenbach
Mason, NH
PS: Please note the requirement for a photo ID for Union-related elections in RED (above). Yes…Unions, the “darlings” of the Democrat Party.
