LETTER: Voter ID laws are needed in every election
"There's no evidence of widespread voter fraud" is normally the response you hear when you bring up the 2020 election. If a state doesn't require voter ID and hasn't purged their voter registration rolls, how would anyone know? It's like a store reporting they've never sold alcohol to minors without checking a driver's license.
When it comes to elections, states have just two primary responsibilities: verify if a voter is eligible to vote and have clean voter registrations. Texas inspected its voter rolls and removed 1.1 million out of 17.9 million registered voters due to deceased voters, felony convictions, address changes and non-citizens or, 6% polluted. The 2020 election was decided by only 40,000 votes. Oddly enough, the DOJ is even suing Virginia for purging 1,600 illegal immigrants from its voter rolls.
The 15 states like California that don't ID voters or purge voter rolls shouldn't be counted. California even went so far as to make it illegal to check voter ID. Predictably, the Pew Research Center found 81% of Americans supported requiring a government-issued photo identification to vote. The only reason you'd be against voter ID is if you plan on cheating. A "decentralized electoral system" where each state has different rules is a mistake. Anyone that's spent time in the quality field knows you take the best practice and make it the standard. It's never easy but you're glad you did it when it's over.
Ben Furleigh
Port Charlotte
