Voter ID Law Is Bad for Democracy (Update 4)

I know that I've pretty much beaten this issue to death, but I had to mention the editorial "They still don't get it" in today's issue of Indiana Lawyer newspaper (January 23-February 5, 2008, p. 11). In the editorial, the Indiana Lawyer's editorial staff offers a terrific example of why Justice Roberts' comment that "county seats aren't very far for people in Indiana" ignores the practical difficulty for some people to obtain the appropriate identification. In addition, the editorial makes several others points worth repeating:

It does seem strange that all a resident needs to do to register to vote in Indiana is fill out a form; no photo ID required if the citizen doesn't have one. How does the state validate that the person is who he says he is at the front end? Several justices asked why the state, if it is so concerned about voter fraud, doesn't require a photo ID at registration.

In conclusion, the editorial staff of Indiana Lawyer stated:

[W]e do believe that if our state's elected leaders were truly wringing their hands over the masses of voter fraud they are certain is out there, they could do a little better job of crafting legislation that would keep "fraudulent" voters from registering in the first place. Then they could make it a goal to protect one of the most sacred rights of all our citizens, including the most vulnerable.

I commend Indiana Lawyer for the points made in the editorial.