Edit: this was never supposed to come across as support for voter ID.
So I saw this article today, and was thinking about how hilarious it would be if Dems passed some sort of voter ID law just because it would make reddit libs cry. But I don't want people to be hurt over it either. Also, as much as we like to dunk on libs, "owning" them through screwing people over is never cool.
I understand that one of the main reasons people are against it is that it's essentially a poll tax as it stands now, and I agree with that. Making IDs free would invalidate that argument. The next argument I hear is that people who live far away from DMV or Secretary of State offices would have trouble getting there to get their picture taken. I am one of those people who live far away from government offices and I manage to get my ass there once every three years.. I don't see how this is such a problem. But I also recognize that attitude is similar to some sort of bootstrapping chud bullshit.
I also see arguments that boil down to "all POC are too dumb and poor to be able to go to the DMV and get the licenses" and that's obviously awful, and is basically the libs version of the subtle racism of lower expectations. You never see this said about white people. To them, all white people who live in rural areas are MAGA knuckle draggers who don't deserve the time of day. I really feel like libs only care because it's something that is popular on the right, and they want to stick it to them. They also think that voting is the most precious and sacred institution ever devised by man, so that's part of it. Point being, I'm sure every lib that goes to vote, hands over their license when asked. It's another example of libs using POC for political gain and then not caring about any of their real problems.
I think if the government wants to hand out free ID cards and all it requires is you going to an office to get your picture taken three times a decade, I don't see a problem, and I'll bet it would actually help people out with other obstacles that require ID. Like, how do libs think these people function in other areas of life? You need an ID to buy several items, sign up for social programs, drive, enroll in school, sign up for utilities, rent/buy a house...
Please tell me if this is chuddy and set me straight if that's the case.
But no matter what it's just another pointless barrier. Even in a hypothetical country where there isn't any racism, it still prevents people who happen to not have an ID on them from voting, reducing the number of people who can vote, who are probably more likely to have other stuff on their mind causing them to forget or lose their ID. There should be no reason to add requirements to voting. Requirements should be reduced over time as technology improves.
In Washington state, the government doesn't even require stamps on ballots (which are all mail-in) and it takes 5 minutes to change your mailing address online to get your ballot. They've consistently made it easier to vote instead of harder. And the only people with any incentive to "cheat" are rich people who already have hundreds of more effective ways of influencing elections (including electoral fraud of course).
I didn't come here to argue in favor of ID for voting. I think everyone should be able to mail in their ballot with no stamp.