>I had to get a second ID a few months ago: It cost $8 and took me all of 10 minutes. To me, there's a fundamental flaw in the system if the ID bar is higher for buying beer than it is for voting.

First, if it's required for voting, it should not cost anything. Otherwise, it's a poll tax.

You say this cost you 10 minutes. Is that because it was near your home? near your job? When I need to replace my driver's license, I have to allocate at least an hour, maybe two. There are a couple of locations near here (10-15 minutes away), but I have to expect to wait in line.

In addition, they're open 8:30-4:15 Monday to Saturday, which is actually better than I remember (must be driving tests that are even more restricted), but still could be a problem for working people. How about evenings? Sundays? If you need this thing to vote, it should be free and easy to get. (That's easy in the sense of where you have to go and when you can go, not in the rules for getting it.)

Tamar


>
>>>Why is this bad? Aren't ID's cheaply had and necessary to cash checks or buy beer?
>>>
>>>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24356530/
>>
>>It's bad because it's a voter suppression technique.
>>
>>The problem is that for poor people who have jobs and don't drive, getting such an id probably requires a considerable expenditure of time and lost wages.
>>
>>FWIW, I've had one of those non-drivers licenses at a time when I was medically prohibited from driving. Getting it was a hassle. Yes, it came from the drivers license people. I had to get there during their inadequate hours (IOW, during the work day) and of course, someone had to take me. IIRC, it was not free, In my view, no one should ever have to spend a single penny to be allowed to vote. So unless photo ID will be issue for free, and available at many places at all kinds of time of day, requiring it is a just a way to keep poor people from voting.
>>
>>It's also a solution to a problem that's generally admitted not to be terribly serious. Everything I've heard says that people showing up at the polls and claiming to be someone they're not (after all, only _registered_ voters can vote) is a minor problem, not a major one.
>>
>>Tamar