[EL] Law-election Digest, Vol 21, Issue 14

[Doug Hess]

"One of the key recommendations I make in *The Voting Wars
<http://www.amazon.com/Voting-Wars-Florida-Election-Meltdown/dp/0300182031/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1329286945&sr=1-2-catcorr>
*to fix the problems with our election system is universal voter
registration conducted by the federal government combined with a national
voter id card.  The i.d. card would assign each potential voter a unique
voter id number, which would stay with the voter her entire life as she
moves across the U.S.  The id card would give voters the option of
providing a thumb print, so that if a voter ever forgets or loses the card
she can use a thumb print for voting. "

Rick:

1) I don't see how this would obviate the need for there to be third party
advocates assisting voters with voter registration. Our current (nearly)
universal SSN system doesn't obviate the need for people to get help from
lawyers, etc. to straighten out their problems with the paperwork, name
changes, etc. In addition, a friend who works with Social Security programs
reports that there is a HUGE number of duplicate or other problematic SS
numbers out there.

In short, I don't see how a national ID or "universal" voter registration
reduces the need for something similar to voter drives (under your plan, I
would imagine a need for canvassing to find people that don't have the
right paperwork to get the ID in the first place, people who had problems
with their ID number, etc.).

I'm not sure what the thumb print would do. Are you picturing thumbprint
scanners at voting booths for biometric identification of anybody in the
nation who may show up?

2) Regarding fears of federal government running elections: I too would
worry about a federal agency making too many decisions over elections.
Federal commissions working on elections in the US tend not to work out so
well, and the DOJ Voting Rights Section was rather heavily manipulated
under a recent administration. I think the real reform is to remove
important election direction activity from the hands of partisan officials.
Otherwise, I'd rather continue to risk foul ups here and there, instead of
some massive foul up at the federal level. Better the federal government
set the terms for rights and some standards.

-Doug
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