Voting is one of the various fundamental principles which our country was founded upon. Our founding fathers fought vehemently to ensure that no individual would be suppressed under an all-powerful government and that citizens would have a fair say in the new-found Republic.
More than two centuries later, 30 states have gone forth with implementing legislation that would require citizens to present identification when voting.
Having the potential of disenfranchising million of voters, some claim that these Voter I.D.s are nothing more than a Republican maneuver to secure victories in key battleground locations.
When thinking about it, why wouldn’t that be a reasonable explanation? After all, those who would be the most affected by these regulations are people who couldn’t afford to pay the fees. And since people who are poorer generally tend to be the ones who vote Democrat, the speculation that these Voter I.D. laws are a maneuver by Republicans to secure elections throughout the country seems to be completely reasonable.
However, has it ever occurred to anyone that these new rules may just be in place for honorable reasons? Has it crossed people’s minds that in this modern day of technology, fraud is everywhere and the only way to secure that voting stays safe is to put these measures in place?
Now, I don’t agree with these Voter I.D. laws because I am Republican. To put it all in perspective, as a lower class Hispanic, wouldn’t I be the one directly impacted by these laws?
I whole-heartedly agree with these voting regulations for the reason that they are the correct policies to put in place. Voting I.D. laws will not only substantially slash the amount of voter fraud, but it will also make people cherish their natural born right to vote.
Far too often we take our voting rights for granted. We don’t go out to vote when there are elections for the school board or city council members. We rarely know who the people running for Congress or City Supervisor in our community are. We hardly ever know what the propositions on the ballot represent. In many cases, some individuals don’t even know who the presidential candidates are. When it comes down to the facts, many of us are more concerned with the results of a sports game than with that of a political campaign.
People must understand that we are blessed to live in a country where we have the privilege to vote. Sadly, the more our country progresses, the less people turn out to vote. What this legislation will do is make people put time and effort into the registration process. It will make them appreciate the gifts that our founding fathers have bestowed upon us and bring back the honor and integrity that once surrounded voting. It will make them more tentative to the matters concerning our nation and to the people who hope to make a difference.
In the end, we must not look at these Voter I.D. laws as some type of Jim Crow laws. They do not single out a certain gender or ethnicity. They simply require that every United States citizen (rich or poor, healthy or sick, young or elderly) go out and obtain the proper identification so that they can go forth and have a say in their government, their future, and that of our nation. This is the safeguard needed to secure the integrity of our election process. Without it we have no defense in securing that honest and legitimate votes are not being diluted by fraudulent individuals.
