When the Baker-Carter voting reform commission recommended that Voter ID Cards to help combat irregularities in the process, I'm sure it sounded like a good idea. The only problem is that it is a fix in search of a problem. Most voting irregularities I'm aware of don't happen with an individual falsely voting; most of them seem to happen with the handling and counting of the votes. However, the ID card solution neatly provides another way of keeping track of people.

The Brad Blog has a good look at this here.

Of course, unless the cards are free, they become a poll tax designed to keep the poor from voting.

I've become convinced that the purpose of government is not to ensure the participation of as many eligable voters as possible; it is to ensure the "right" people are able to vote. Government does not want the poor or the convicted felon to vote because that would upset the balance of power.

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Nota Bene: This is PBU40, a post inspired by the Progressive Blogger Union (PBU). I participate in PBU because, for me, activism is empty without community. Activism isn't just about showing up for a protest or writing a blog or signing a petition. It's about forming and forging alliances and lines of connection between people and groups. "The people united will never be defeated" isn't just a slogan to be chanted at rallies; it should be a way of life. It begins with working together toward common goals. If you want to see what other PBU members have written about voter ID cards, you can look under the subject header "PBU40" at the PBU group at Flickr. Or you can plug PBU40 into the Technorati search engine.