EDMOND — Gov. Brad Henry may sign as early as today a voter ID bill that continues to stir partisan controversy.
In essence, the bill requires voters to present a government-issued photo identification or their voter ID card at the polls. If someone forgets either form of identification, they may cast a provisional ballot. One part of the bill that is being overlooked in the heated debate about photo IDs is the legislation extends by a week the early voting time frame.
Weak arguments abound in this debate.
Many Democrats and groups such as the League of Women Voters are opposed to the photo ID requirement, claiming it could disenfranchise elderly, disabled and minority voters. They believe many of those groups might not have a photo ID, or that it would be costly for them to obtain one.
Let’s get real. In this technology-laden era, it’s difficult to believe large numbers of people do not have a photo ID. For example, if someone uses a credit card to pay for sending a package at a post office, they are required to show a photo ID before the transaction is completed. Ditto for many stores, including grocery stores. Photo IDs are asked for by many retailers before they accept a check or a credit card as part of their verification process to eliminate fraud. You even have to show a photo ID to enter a bar or purchase cigarettes.
But let’s dispense with the red herring issue of the photo ID. The legislation also allows the use of a voter ID card, too. Guess what? When a voter registers with their county Election Board, they are issued one of those cards. There is no added cost in this legislation, as some have claimed, because election boards are already issuing these cards to voters. Problem solved. Voters just need to be responsible and keep their voter ID cards with them and show them when they check in at their polling location.
Government is never going to stop those who truly want to commit fraud from doing illegal things. That’s why we have punitive laws on the books to deter those who might think about wrongdoing and to punish those who move past thinking and on to the doing.
Voter ID legislation is not the end of voting as we know it. Instead, we believe it will put some confidence back into our voting system.
Our View
Voter ID not all bad
- Our View
-
-
OUR VIEW: Feb. 14 vote about ideas
If you read any of the letters to the editor in the past two weeks regarding Tuesday’s District 2 Edmond school board race, then you already know that this election is not about the individual candidates so much as it’s about what type of school board do Edmond residents really want governing their school district?
-
OUR VIEW: Bright spots highlight 2011
Last year was mostly marked with grim economic news and continued worries for the future by most individuals and businesses. However, there were several bright spots that highlighted 2011 and they are good examples why Edmond continues to weather the nation’s economic storms better than most.
-
City still needs a business navigator
At the outset of her first term in office, then-Mayor Patrice Douglas appointed a task force dedicated to helping the City of Edmond better understand the needs of small businesses in our city. This task force met for several months and released a number of recommendations for how the city could better serve this huge sector of its economy.
-
OUR VIEW: It’s time to bring ME’s office to Edmond
The exhumation of Dwite Morgan’s body earlier this month by state and local authorities is a travesty and symbolizes what has been wrong with the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s office.
-
OUR VIEW: HOPE needs your help
Stories like the one shared today by Oneka Parker on page A1 are both troubling and uplifting at the same time. It’s a stark realization that so many Edmond residents find themselves in crisis and in need of basic, everyday supplies. But it’s a blessing to know that someplace like the nonprofit HOPE Center exists to help residents like Parker.
-
Our View: Sustainment center good news for Tinker
The Air Logistics Center at Tinker Air Force Base will now be a command site for a new Air Force sustainment and logistics center. Other changes include adding a three-star general that oversees operations at Tinker and two other Air Force bases.
-
Our View: DHS needs an overhaul
A recent conviction of an Edmond foster mother has added fuel to the angry fire of scorn heaped at Oklahoma’s child welfare system. The system has been rocked by multiple recent failures ending in the loss of very young, innocent lives entrusted to either the state’s care or supervision.
In the case of Amy L. Holder, she was convicted of felony child abuse and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine plus a $10,000 assessment to the victim’s compensation fund with no jail time in the death of 2-year-old Naomi Whitecrow. Family members of the victim seethed with anger at how the system failed their young relative. -
Peters exemplifies service
This Friday is special for more than just a national commemoration of Veterans Day. It also will mark the induction of Edmond resident Oren Lee Peters and eight other military veterans into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame. The annual banquet will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Oklahoma Christian University. The ceremony also will posthumously honor 14 Comanche code talkers who made pivotal contributions to encoding communications during World War II.
-
OUR VIEW: Brain gain plan needs to start earlier
Gov. Mary Fallin came to the University of Central Oklahoma campus along with State Superintendent Janet Barresi in September and touted her new “brain gain” initiative. The goal of the new program is to increase the 30,500 college degrees conferred annually now by 67 percent to 50,900 degrees annually by the year 2023.
-
Our View: Time to look at what’s next
With voter confidence strongly behind city leaders, the Public Safety Center project can now move to the planning stage.
- More Our View Headlines
-
OUR VIEW: Feb. 14 vote about ideas
