Californication

[juanez]

At the polls in California on Election Day, it is illegal to ask any voter for any form of identification to prove you are who you say you are or to even ask if you are a citizen of the United States before you vote. Not “PC” I guess.

WTF is that all about? You need a Drivers License or some sort of permit on you at all times to operate a vehicle, carry a gun or buy a beer, but if you want to vote for the President of the United States with NO ID - NO PROBLEM!

I go to Europe for a few weeks and I'm terrified to leave the hotel without my freakin passport because I know damn well the "authorities" will stop me the first time I leave without it and hold my ass in some jail for a month before I even get a phone call. I get warned over and over to keep my passport on me "at all times" or bad things will happen "if they catch me". Catch me? Doing what? Walking around without my ID?

Let me get this straight. You can't walk down the street in Madrid to buy a cup of coffee without your passport, but in California you can vote for the President, the most powerful man in the world, with no ID whatsoever.

Crazy.

[lastchance]

Guess they don't want lawyers scaring people off so that every vote gets counted, even some votes which shouldn't be...

Politics is damn ugly. I just want to get around to actually running the nation.

[BonJoviJones]

It's a difficult problem. There is no legal requirement that people carry, or even own, any sort of ID.

Forcing people to carry around ID sounds kind of like a police state to me.

[mmbt0ne]

No one is forcing people to carry ID. You are simply forfeiting some luxuries by choosing not to do so.

[tolbiny]

voting isn't considered a luxury... but if it is so important to our society, shouldn't their be checks to make sure it is done properly?

[meow_meow]

[ QUOTE ]
At the polls in California on Election Day, it is illegal to ask any voter for any form of identification to prove you are who you say you are or to even ask if you are a citizen of the United States before you vote. Not “PC” I guess.

WTF is that all about? You need a Drivers License or some sort of permit on you at all times to operate a vehicle, carry a gun or buy a beer, but if you want to vote for the President of the United States with NO ID - NO PROBLEM!

I go to Europe for a few weeks and I'm terrified to leave the hotel without my freakin passport because I know damn well the "authorities" will stop me the first time I leave without it and hold my ass in some jail for a month before I even get a phone call. I get warned over and over to keep my passport on me "at all times" or bad things will happen "if they catch me". Catch me? Doing what? Walking around without my ID?

Let me get this straight. You can't walk down the street in Madrid to buy a cup of coffee without your passport, but in California you can vote for the President, the most powerful man in the world, with no ID whatsoever.

Crazy.

[/ QUOTE ]

You seem to have received some "bad intel" regarding the likelyhood of being asked for your passport before purchasing coffee in Madrid. No shame in that, bad intel happens to Americans from time to time....

To the other issue. I think a national ID system is not a bad idea but it will never happen for two reasons. One, people will argue that it lends itself to corruption / police state-type activity. Second (and this one only works in America), any type of manditory ID system smacks of the sign of the beast, and we all know what happens to those marked by the beast.
If you don't believe me on this second point, try watching Jack Van Impe (and his lovely wife Roxella).

[texaspimp]

How is this a national I.D. issue? Voting is a privilege. You should have to verify that you are legally allowed to vote. This is a no-brainer.

[elwoodblues]

voting is a right, not a privilege.

[nef]

Yeah, but voting twice isn't a right. Its obvious the reason why they need to check IDs for voting. If you cant be bothered to spend 2 hours and $10 at the DMV once every 5 years then you arent really motivated to vote if all it requires is a picture ID.

[elwoodblues]

I was just correcting the idea that voting is a privilege not a right. If it is a right, then the burden should be on the governemnt to show that the restriction is a reasonable one. A picture ID probably is a reasonable restriction, but that is a decision for the states to make.