I'm pretty sure that you need some form of ID to open a bank account, etc., so it's not too unreasonable an ask. We need to have a way to make sure that people are who they say they are when they vote. Efforts should be taken to make sure everybody has access to a valid ID.
That last sentence is the clincher. There are various additional hoops that can be set up
and then set on fire.
And even when it seems reasonable, it can go wrong. Imagine the time I moved house, and in the process lost both bank (debit) card and driving licence photo-id card in the muddle (though found both later[2]!). To change the address, for my bank, I needed a photo-ID (passport, which was my other option, was also deeply packed who-knew-where), before I could be sure I could request a replacement card. To get a replacement licence, to my new address, I needed to pay (which I still couldn't do with my bank card!). Obviously I had to get
someone else to pay, for me, as part of the convoluted process.
Yes, there are long ways to get round it (else nobody would get their
first bank-account or driving licence[1]), which rightfully should protect against new identities being conjoured straight out of the æther, but totally unforseen issues such as fire, theft, flood or other forms of bad luck can scupper even the best-laid preparedness. Which I clearly had not had.
There is no absolute requirement to normally carry ID around, over here, not even necessarily your DL when driving. And the British public seem mostly dead-set against there being, except perhaps immediately after some incident where some tabloids (dubiously) run with "This would never have happened if we all carried ID!" as the main thrust of the article.
(The fuss about Vaccine Passports we have at the moment is partly to do with this. Though mostly to do with whether those 'privileged' enough to have been early in the priority list will be the first people able to get past such checks - i.e. will a nightclub have to initially rebrand their '80s Night as Over-80s Night... and how well would Techno work with Zimmers, anyway?)
There have been some localised trials (and, perhaps, it might be a reality in NI, for 'Troublesome' reasons) to make ID necessary for voting, which I haven't seen conclusive results from. Overwhelmingly, though, it was because some of those caught up in the trial had not paid attention that they were sent away (perhaps to return later, equipped, though some may not have), not any actual attempted defrauders who did not pass muster. There is a well-honed mechanism for in-person voting that seems to discourage electoral personation (outside of NI's legendary "Vote early! Vote often!"). While it's hard to determine what level of voter-fraud
might be being allowed, (valid) enfranchisement seems to be the main winner, and most at risk from a clamp-down that has unproven need.
Obviously, cultures are different. But I
perceive far more non-persons (effectively) being created in the US by making greater demands upon ID than efforts are made to ease the legitimate path to getting some. Already well into this trend, and sloping further and further into it with spurious rationale behind each action/inaction.
[1] Noting in passing that a significant number of people do still not have one or the other, maybe neither.
[2] I'd last used the photo-counterpart of my licence to validate my identity when signing the house paperwork, it was therefore in the bundle of house paperwork, rather than where it should have been.
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Topic: AmeriPol thread (Read 4475224 times)