Voter ID essential to voter security

The KS Legislature has recently convened for its '08 session and one of the items on the House Republican agenda is Voter ID at the polls. This is much-needed, and the outcome of Indiana's disputed Voter ID law (which the Supreme Court is expected to uphold) will reinforce the current Voter ID legislation in Topeka.

Interestingly enough, an old woman used and cited by voter security opponents in the Indiana case as an example of someone likely to be "disenfranchised" under the current law is (ironically) actually registered to vote in 2 different states--Indiana and Florida, proving the point of voter ID proponents that our current system is fatally flawed.

Americans overwhelmingly favor Voter ID as a method of increasing voter security at the ballot box. According to a Rasmussen poll from last year, 77 percent of Americans favored an ID requirement; an ABC/Wall Street Journal poll similarly found 80 percent support for the idea.

Since the Federal government has been slow to act, the states have addressed potential voter fraud themselves. 25 states require some form of ID, and more are expected to follow suit. Missouri's voter ID requirement was signed into law by Governor Matt Blunt but found unconstitutional by the state supreme court. A major decision by the U.S. Supreme Court could invalidate the Missouri court's ruling and boost efforts in other states.

And contrary to opponents' claims, voter ID doesn't reduce turnout, according to a study co-sponsored by Rutgers Univ. and Ohio State Univ.

And voter fraud is not a trivial matter or "urban legend" as liberals would like to think. A few of the numerous instances of voter fraud:

• The Justice Department discovered that 8 out of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were registered to vote.


• At least 440 illegal aliens voted in a 1996 California house election.


• 543 non-citizens were registered to vote on the island of Oahu in Hawaii ("Illegal Voters," Honolulu Advertiser, Sept. 9, 2000).


• ACORN Community organizers were indicted here in Kansas City of submitting false voter registration forms of dead voters and such civically-minded Americans as Bugs Bunny and Mary Poppins. Similar investigations against ACORN took place in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Colorado.

Right now, Kansas only requires ID for first-time voters. That needs to change. Kansas house members will hear testimony soon from Sec. of State Ron Thornburgh's office. According to information obtained by the Konnection, representatives from Thornburgh's office told house committee members that illegals ARE voting in Kansas, and a representative from the Sec. of State's office related a personal story of an illegal who ran for school board in the representative's district and was found not to be a citizen even though he was registered to vote. The government employee claimed that many illegals in Kansas register to vote, believing it will help them gain citizenship quicker. Of course, this testimony is unverified, but is disturbing nonetheless, especially since the Secretary of State's office is willing to concede that a problem exists and that non-citizens are registering to vote.