In early February, there is a bill scheduled to be heard in the Virginia Senate — it has already passed the House of Delegates — that many students here at Virginia Tech probably know nothing about. Many would say it’s time that it be brought to their attention, however, because this bill could potentially impede one of their most important rights: the right to vote.
This bill intends to eliminate affidavit voting in Virginia, which could greatly affect not just the ability of our student population to vote, but also the votes of voters statewide.
What is affidavit voting, exactly? To the best of my understanding, affidavit voting is a provision in place for people who show up at the polls in order to vote but who do not have, for whatever reason, adequate identification. These people are, under the current law, allowed to sign a statement swearing that they are in fact who they say they are, in order to cast their vote.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, why is our state legislature considering getting rid of this practice? Some, like Del. Mark Cole (who introduced the bill), think affidavit voting makes voter fraud easier and more prevalent. While it is debatable exactly how much voter fraud takes place in Virginia elections, I think most reasonable people would concede that yes, voter fraud probably happens sometimes, and no, it is probably not a problem that is running rampant. I’ve personally heard very little about major problems with voter fraud in this state, but maybe I’m just not listening to the right sources.
Why, if this bill could potentially help reduce whatever voter fraud is actually occurring, would anyone think it’s a bad idea? Well, if this bill were to become law, it would require all voters to present state-issued photo identification at the time of voting, which some say would be effectively creating a poll tax. State-issued photo identification, such as drivers’ licenses and passports, cost money.
To many of us, this may seem absurd — who doesn’t have a drivers’ license? How much can they possibly cost? But that, I would argue, is beside the point, because whoever does not have a drivers’ license, for whatever reason (monetary or other), should not be denied the right to vote.
But if this bill passes, there is some likelihood their vote won’t count. In this case, the voter lacking in state-issued identification will be allowed to cast a provisional ballot, which could potentially only be counted under certain circumstances.
What about the rest of us, most of whom are already in possession of state-issued photo identification? This is just one more hurdle to jump that can potentially complicate things on Election Day. I’ve followed politics and worked with political campaigns enough to know that the last thing we need is another factor that makes it more difficult to vote or discourages people from getting out to the polls.
A version of this article appeared in the Feb 9 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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You should always have identification on you at all times. I don't see what the issue is. Just bring identification with you on voting day. This probably helps prevent voting fraud which is a big problem.
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"Papers please."
This country deserves what is coming. Instead of watching MTV and the superbowl, people need to read more.
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It is customary to identify the bill about which you are writing by number, particularly when your aim is to inform people of its contents. There are 6 bills (2 House, 4 Senate) that all seek to modify the current law in different ways.
You should also be sure enough about the topic that statements like "to the best of my understanding." If you're not sure, don't write it.
That said, I assume that you are referring to HB1560, which aims to remove the "green envelope with a sworn statement" clause from the law (affidavit voting). Under the proposed legislation, a voter lacking ID may still vote and use the paper ballot and green envelope, but instead of a sworn statement, the ballot is put aside and reviewed at a hearing the next day to determine its validity. The voter must be told the time and location of the meeting and informed that he/she may attend and prove the validity of his vote at that meeting. Seems fair and to offer more fraud protection. If you can't prove who you are the first time, you get another chance.
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By the way, acceptable forms of ID under this bill would remain the same: Commonwealth of Virginia voter registration card, social security card, valid Virginia driver's license, or any other identification card issued by a government agency of the Commonwealth, one of its political subdivisions, or the United States; or any valid employee identification card containing a photograph of the voter and issued by an employer of the voter in the ordinary course of the employer's business.
You don't have to have a driver's license to vote - just a voter registration card. If you don't have one of those, you either aren't registered or were too irresponsible to keep track of it. Do us a favor and stay home from the polls if either is the case.
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By the way, a slight modification to the above...basically you still sign the affidavit. The difference between current law and the most recent version of the bill (which is in the Senate P&E subcommittee at the moment) is only that affidavit votes would be counted as "provisional" ballots and not "official" ballots as they are now. Of course, the hearing the day after the election presents the opportunity for the voter to help change his ballot from provisional to official.
I must reiterate, though, that nothing in the current bill would change identification requirements from how they are in the law today. Your Hokie Passport was never an acceptable form of ID to vote in VA. If it was accepted, it shouldn't have been, unless VT is your employer.
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The issue is that students not voting in their hometowns will not have proper identification because their drivers licenses will have their home addresses. Therefore, we would need to get new IDs with our local addresses, which is not practical.
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Or how about just vote in your hometown via absentee ballot, since you're not a citizen of the commonwealth anyway...
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If you don't have your Blacksburg address on your license, you can still register to vote in Blacksburg. The application for registration allows you to submit a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document with your name and address where you are registering. If you arrive at the polling place with a license that has a different address, it won't matter. They are only verifying your identity at that point...or, you could just take your dang voter registration card with you, since HB1560 allows you to show it as identification - same as you can now.
This article is one big non-issue.
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