In 2005, the Georgia Legislature passed the “Voter ID” Bill that requires voters, when they vote, to present photo identification of the voter.
This is a common sense requirement to protect the value of the votes of the legitimate folks. When non-qualified people vote (dead or alive), or when qualified people vote multiple times, the votes of genuine Georgia voters are cancelled. That’s us.
All this does happen. If you think it doesn’t, think again. Just check the recent stories about voter fraud in Texas and in Florida. Investors Business Daily (9/28/10), Fox News (9/25/10), and the Palm Beach Sun-Sentinel (9/18/10) have all run editorials or stories on this subject.
Once our legislature acted, and Governor Sonny Perdue signed the legislation, the Democrat lawyers got busy. Among those Democrat lawyers was the current Democrat nominee for governor, Roy Barnes. They made legal complaints to the U.S. Department of Justice and to the courts.
In 2006, the legislature amended the law to include the provision of a free, state-supplied photo ID to those without a driver’s license, or other photo ID. The addition of the free feature removed the argument that the requirement constituted a “poll tax,” or a financial charge to vote.
That change didn’t slow the Democrats and their lawyers one bit. This includes the case that Roy Barnes argued personally in front of the Georgia Supreme Court. That case was dismissed June 12, 2007 because the plaintiff Roy Barnes was representing already had a photo ID, and so had no “standing to sue”!
Don’t you think that, if he really believed in the importance of opposing a voter ID requirement, he would be surer of his facts – including the status of his client? Then he could have looked for a client who could claim to have an actual issue.
The U.S. Justice Department and the courts have ruled again and again that the requirement for photo ID is a legitimate and legal requirement but Roy Barnes would rather continue to spend time and money to burden us and stop the government from protecting the value of your vote.
Peter Pfeifer
Peachtree City, Ga.
