Cast Those Against Voter IDs for Theater of the Absurd

My Halloween was quite frankly, boring.

Outside of working, I voted early and caught a movie.

It was a day absent of treats and tricks, with a notable exception.

For one of those activities, I was asked to show a government issued ID.

And if you thought it was to vote, you would be mistaken. Rather, I was asked to prove my age so I could see the latest "Halloween" film, which is Rated R.

While I was pleasantly surprised that someone in the cosmos thought I looked under the age of 18 (I’m actually 34), it put things into context.

Earlier, I had been allowed to cast my vote for a slate of candidates running for federal, state, and county offices. These are individuals who, if elected, will have the capacity to radically alter my life, and that of my family’s, in more than just a few ways.

Then I remembered I live in Illinois, where no ID is required to vote.

In fact, the only times you are required to present an ID in the "Land of Lincoln" is when you are either registering to vote for the first time or changing the address on your original voter registration form.

But why aren’t voters required to prove their identity?

In Illinois at least, a photo ID is needed for everything from cashing a check to picking up a prescription.

Photo ID’s are also necessary for buying liquor and tobacco, obtaining a firearm, getting a marriage license, applying for public benefits, checking into a hotel or hospital, and boarding a plane.

You’re even required to show a photo ID when you purchase nail polish remover at CVS and certain cold medications at other drug stores throughout the state!

If an ID is required for all of the above scenarios, is it really that much of a burden to ask voters for their ID when it comes to exercising one of the most sacred freedoms associated with citizenship?

The simple answer is no.

Rather, it comes down to the fact that Democrats, who presently control both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly with healthy majorities, refuse to allow any kind of voter ID legislation to come up for a vote.

Republican members of the House and Senate have introduced dozens of bills over the years to amend Illinois’ Election Code to require IDs.

Each time, the Democratic majorities simply ignore and refer them to committees, where they’re never to be heard of again.

It begs the question, why such hostility to legislation designed to make elections more secure? The Prairie State, by its very nature, is associated with rampant corruption and fraud.

Although opponents of ID laws frequently cite the claim that voter fraud is rare, they can’t admit that it’s nonexistent in the Land of Lincoln.

In the past five years, individuals in Illinois have been criminally convicted for all types of voter fraud, including duplicate voting, ineligible voting, ballot petition fraud, false registrations, and fraudulent use of absentee ballots just to name a few.

With a voter ID law, lawmakers would be assisting poll workers and county clerks alike at preventing all of these types of fraud.

Moreover, the so-called "rarity" argument espoused by opponents doesn’t paint an accurate picture of the issue at hand.

The reason why few individuals end up getting convicted of fraud violations can be explained by the "endemic underenforcement" of cases, coupled by the "extreme difficulty of apprehending a voter impersonator" without tools like a voter ID law on the books.

Opponents also claim that requiring a photo ID to vote compromises a citizens’ right to participate in elections, calling such protections "burdensome" to those who are poor, elderly, or disabled.

Yet in Illinois, the secretary of state offers free ID cards for residents over age 65, as well as those persons with disabilities.

In other words, the groups often considered vulnerable to voting ID laws are already protected by legislation that ensures these individuals can obtain access to an ID at no charge to them.

It’s a sad day when a private company requires a photo ID to protect minors from theatrical gore and violence, but a state willfully declines to safeguard the integrity and security of their elections.

In the end, minors should be grateful that theaters in Illinois are busy enforcing ID policies.

They’re being saved from disappointments like "Halloween Ends."

I only wish lawmakers in Illinois would take similar measures to protect voters from disappointments of a more important kind.

Jacob Lane is a Republican strategist and school choice activist. He has worked for GOP campaigns at the federal, state and local levels, as well as with various PACs and non-profits. Read Jacob Lane's Reports — More Here.