>>>>I mean, c'mon Mike, this is all total BS. Voters should have to prove who they are, right? How else do you get rid of voter fraud? Proof of ID should be a responsibility of a voter for God's sake. Personally, I summarily reject any arguments against proof of ID because AFAIAC they are all very suspicious rationales.
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>>>Didn't we have this conversation before? Bottom line for me is that unless ID is available for free and without undue hardship (like missing work), it's a poll tax. Make ID available for free in every public library and local district court (justice of the peace) and have the ID stations open days, nights and weekends, and I'm okay with it. But if someone has to pay for it, or take off work to get it, or needs a car or complicated public transit trip to get it, it's unreasonable.
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>>>Every adult citizen, from the richest to the poorest, should be able to vote, and any requirement that makes it harder for poor people to vote is wrong.
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>>>Tamar
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>>I'd like to know why I have to show not only a photo id, but proof of citizenship and residency in the district where I register my daughter for school. I have to provide a statement from the power company, the cable company, a lease, or something to prove not only who I am but that I live where I say I do. She cannot attend otherwise and that is a public school. Why should voting be any different? Public school is supposed to be for all as well.
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>Don't you get any sort of polling cards ? Here we have to register for the electoral roll (we get sent a form) then you get a polling card which you take to the polling station. thats it

When you register to vote you receive a voter registration card in the mail. You are supposed to take that card with you (along with ID) to the polls on election day. It shows your polling place and the district you vote in (which determines which candidates you can vote for as well - e.g. in local elections I cannot vote for a representative of another district). However, most folks don't bring it and many never bother to update it with their current information (address) which creates the problem on election day. If you move into another district, you are supposed to let the board of elections know. There is a change of address form. They base the number of machines on how many they expect to come in to vote (the population of registered voters in their district) If you move into another area of the state, you are supposed to do the same. When you change states, you are supposed to register to vote in that state as well. It is easy because you have 30 days to update your drivers license and you can register to vote at any DMV (where you get your drivers license for that state). However, many people never bother to get a new drivers license in that state and so never update their voter information as well. For some, they don't register their vehicle in the new state or get a new drivers license unless they are stopped by the cops for something and given a citation for not doing so. Few want to pay for a new drivers license, take a test again, or even bother. It is not until election time that people even think of it and then they expect to be able to go in and vote. You can register and vote at the same time during early election, but not on the 4th. Your information has to be valid or you have to be able to prove you live in that district on the 4th (in North Carolina). However, I heard on the news last night that there are 26 states in the U.S. where you can register to vote without proving your residency or providing an id at all. That amazes me. How any one can say there is no fraud when there is no validation is amazing to me.