Voter ID Compromise: Wise Move or Weak-Kneed?
Picking up on Mark’s post regarding Voter ID hypocrisy, a compromise on a North Carolina Voter ID bill is likely to see a vote during the current short session of the General Assembly. Proposals include allowing a broader range of documents to be accepted as positive forms of identification rather than only a true photo ID.
House Speaker Thom Tillis said the compromise is near certain: “I’d give it high odds that you are going to see a voter ID (bill) pass. If it gets vetoed the veto will get overridden.”
Hearing rumblings from Conservatives at the thought of a compromised approach to defeating voter fraud, Tillis has publicly asked for input.
Folks concerned with the so-called compromise Voter ID bill: I’d like your thoughts.
We have the opportunity to pass a voter ID law that will require voters to present a government issued photo ID if they want to proceed immediately to the voting booth. If someone does not have a photo ID, they would be required to do the following:
1) Present one or more items (e.g. a utility bill, bank statement, etc.) that contain the address on the voter database. AND
2) Sign a formal attestation swearing you are who you say you are subject to criminal penalty for fraud AND
3) Submit a provisional ballot subject to Board of Elections Review which requires having the signature on the attestation MATCHED with the signature of the person who originally signed the voter registration. If it is judged that the signatures do not match, the ballot will not be counted.
Some folks are mad about the idea of a compromise bill as am I. However, the NC House is four votes short of a veto-proof majority. Democrats who have voted with us on an historic SEVEN veto overrides said they cannot support us on this one. Therefore we cannot override the current/preferred bill between now and the November election.
Here is my question to you. Do you want to continue to have NO voter ID requirement at all or do you want to take some ground? Personally, I feel that a hefty percentage of something is far better than 100% of nothing.
If we elect a super majority in November or a supportive Governor in McCrory, make no mistake about it, we will pass HB 351. In the meantime, let me know if you really want to go through another election cycle with no voter ID requirement at all.
This writer feels that while it would be prudent to take the compromise if it can get passed now, don’t frame it as a “bipartisan effort” or that “the sides came together to make a bad situation better.”
No, clearly explain that the democrats are still responsible for the failure to pass a true Voter ID bill. Make them defend their position on which they take the unpopular side. Don’t lose the power of the narrative by suggesting the liberals “came halfway.”
Take what we can for sure, but come out swinging for more the next round. The democrats will only try to use this to show that they are “team players” and that they really supported doing something about voter fraud. We all know that isn’t true.
We have the winning argument, don’t give it up even after a compromise for the time being. Win the battle, but keep fighting the war.
What do you say to Speaker Tillis, PunditHouse readers?
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