Pfft. Another right winger trying to whip up the wealthy suburban whites against those terrible Obama-voting poor blacks in the city. Please note reference to the defunct but apparently still deadly ACORN. Bah. So where are the jobs? Why aren't you guys worrying about that?

Aah yes - the mighty powerful and defunct ACORN. Weren't they also the culprits behind the housing bust/economic meltdown? (removes tri-cornered hat and scratches head.)

The photo id initiatives are being pushed where the GOP controls state legislatures, and is a political ploy to gain advantage -much like when voting districts get creatively re-drawn(by either party).

In Missouri we currently don't have one party controlling all branches of govt. This is fortunate for the relatively small group of voters without photo id and also without much voice in government (overwhelmingly consists of the poor, non-whites, and elderly)

And in other states a few judges are standing in the way of this political steamroll.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/us/justice-dept-blocks-texas-photo-id-law.html
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/ruling-expected-monday-in-second-voter-id-case-c44hifo-142307425.html

You must have a photo ID to cash a check, to open a bank account, to drive a car, to apply for social security or SSI. People receiving social security or disablity usually have their checks direct deposited into a bank account. For those who work for a living, they can use either direct deposit or cash their checks elsewhere, but they will have to have a picture ID to do so. In this day and age, how can one survive without having a picture ID? This has nothing to do with race, it has to do with responsibility. Either you function in society or you don't! If you don't have an ID, I cannot see how you can possibly do so much as buy groceries to feed yourself. Where are all of these people who have no identification? Let's help them get some.

RDBet,
Can you not read??? Persons must HAVE A PHOTO ID to do ANY of the things mentioned earlier, presenting valid photo ID to vote should be no less important than trying to cash a check. There is NO reason in this, the information age, to have no valid photo identification. No one is being denied their vote, in case you haven't noticed, less than half the people exercise that right when the time comes anyway. If one truly wants to vote, they will do the responsible thing and obtain proper photo identification.
Bill,
The non-driver's license is valid for six years, the same with a CCW endorsement is only valid for three years, hence the price difference.

What partisan venom? This issue is a moot point already, you just fail to realize it has nothing to do with political parties and everything to do with making sure everything is above board and people are who they say they are when they vote. You and others like you are trying to make it seem like this about race, when really it is about honesty. The last census figures I saw show that over 63% of the population is white and around 16% is black. If those numbers hold true for those registered to vote, that would mean an awful lot of white people had to vote for President Obama which blows your race card right off of the deck and you can't have that can you? You must stir up racist angst to fuel your pitiful fire.

There are too many assumptions in this debate. If someone already has a bank account and credit card, I claim they can live just fine in our society without an unexpired, state issued, photo ID. It is simply presumptuous to tell someone otherwise. And certainly not sufficient basis on which to pass laws.

A picture ID is not required for direct deposit.

Also: what is the problem? How many fraudulent votes are typically cast? Obviously we don't know exactly, but we must have done some studies to get good estimates, right? Rep. Diehl said "fraud is becoming an increasingly real problem", so he must have some quantitative information. Has he shared it with the public?

If proponents truly cared about "the core of what it means to be an American", they would be encouraging EVERY CITIZEN to vote. Not discouraging those who they just might disagree with.

If you have to have a valid photo ID to get a video, you should be required to prove who you are in order to vote. I think voting is much more important than renting a video. I will encourage every citizen to get an official means of photo identification so the election judges are sure the right person is signing the x next to their name on the registration list.
The potential for fraud should be eliminated, this will be a step in the right direction.

Bill, the link you provided clearly shows that an ND-identification is $.5.50 for three years and $5.50 for a replacement. I see no column regarding a $5.50 fee for a six-year ND-ID with CCW endorsement because they do not offer the CCW endorsement for any longer than a three year period.

Immigrants do indeed have photo identification, whether it be on their visa, passport or any other of a litany of identification that is required to legally be in this country. You are the one who is singling out blacks and latinos as being those who do not have identification. Now, why would that be?
Requiring identification to vote is not disenfranchising anyone except in your mind. Any bill offered has provisions that would accomodate any of YOUR perceived drawbacks. Give us all a break and just admit you aren't objecting to this for any gallant reasons, you are just arguing to stir up trouble and be a race baiter. ID is in no way, shape or form similar to a poll-tax although you will try and try to argue that it is. How about you give up your photo ID for a month and let us all know what you can accomplish without it? Or just keep track of how many times you are required to produce it! You never know, requiring photo ID for voters may open a whole new world of opportunity to those you say would be hampered by it! They might even be able to visit a local pub for a drink, a club for entertainment or purchase cigarettes or alcohol at the grocery store!

It is usual and customary to use capital letters when using abbreviations like ID. It is also customary to use an exclamation point when you want to emphasize a statement. Too bad you express an aversion to them, they do come in handy at times.
I know many elderly people and those whom you may consider poor and they all are in possession of valid picture IDs. Doctors offices and hospital emergency rooms even ask for a photo ID to make sure they are treating not only the right person, but sometimes to make sure they match up with the named insured. Have you never heard of someone using someone else's ID? I can assure you, it happens all the time in court and in jail and sometimes out on the street, if there is a picture on it there is a much better chance of preventing fraud.
I am going to do my own personal survey to see if a lack of an ID is as much of a hot button issue as you would have everyone believe or if it is just something you are using to justify your feelings of anger.
I find it amusing that you would choose to critique my writing, categorize it as a partisan hate rant and try to make it about me instead of the issue we are discussing.
While you're at it, why don't you look up Glenn Burleigh and see what he is doing these days. I heard he was playing music. For some reason the pied piper comes to mind.....

Photo IDs are easily faked by the way. Maybe Rep Diehl's boogieman ACORN would set up a fake photo ID assembly line. So partisan extremists might as well start asking for DNA, an ounce of blood, or retinal eye scans to vote?

A photo ID is not needed for tea party gathering -just a scowl and tri-cornered hat gets you in.

Whatever, consider yourself dismissed.....you are not worth my time.

Yeah, you hit your quota for right-wing propaganda and fear-mongering on this topic long ago.

Why don't we take away all the under-used ID cards from the 60% of the population that fails to vote, and give those cards to the people who care enough to want to vote?

This law will be a boon for the fake-ID business - they should make the age on those cards 21, so we can all vote drunk, too. Now that's efficiency.

What are a person's rights when their vote is cancelled out by someone who votes illegally?.....who defending them?