UPDATED with correction below (Oct. 22, 2014) | "This afternoon, in the state of Illinois, President Obama cast his ballot on the first day of early voting in his home state, and in so doing the president did something that almost a half million Texas residents may no longer be able to do this election cycle," MSNBC's Alex Wagner melodramatically noted as she opened a "Block the Vote" segment on her Monday, October 20 program. The reason? Why, none other than the dastardly conservative Supreme Court which "at five in the morning on Saturday... decided to allow Texas to enforce its strict voter ID law in the November elections," the Now with Alex Wagner host groused.
Wagner also hyped how the Court's move effectively overturned the finding of a federal district court judge -- a Barack Obama appointee, by the way, not that Wagner disclosed that fact to viewers -- who characterized the photo ID requirement as akin to an "unconstitutional poll tax."
Naturally the MSNBC anchor and wife of White House chef Sam Kass failed to note that the president himself, like all Illinois early voters, had to produce valid government-issued photo ID in order to cast his ballot Monday, effectively voluntarily submitting himself to what one of his judicial appointees considers a "poll tax."
Of course, had Mr. Obama chosen to wait until election day itself, Nov. 4, he would have been exempt from showing ID. From an early-voting FAQ sheet produced the Illinois State Board of Elections (emphasis mine):
WHAT ARE THE SAFEGUARDS AGAINST VOTER FRAUD?
Voters casting an early ballot must display valid identification such as a current driver’s license, a state -issued ID card or another government-issued ID with a photograph. This requirement does not apply for the 2014 General Election.
The votes cast during the early voting period will not be counted until after the polls close on Election Day.
[...]
WHAT IS THE REASON FOR EARLY VOTING?
A major reason for early voting is to encourage greater participation in the election. People who travel for business, work long hours or are otherwise inconvenienced by the hours the polls are open may find it easier to vote early.
Back up a second and notice the question answered in this selection: "What are the safeguards against voter fraud?" Illinois, keep in mind, is far from a conservative state. Yet even the liberal Democratic government in Mr. Obama's home state realizes that photo ID is a valuable safeguard against voter fraud. Also notice that early voting is seen as a way to "encourage greater participation in the election" and yet said greater participation is considered completely compatible with having a photo ID to vote.
A May 2014 poll on voter ID found a vast majority of Americans (70 percent) approve of requiring ID to vote. Black voters are among the most skeptical demographic groups on the matter of requiring ID, but even there, 51 percent of African-American voters favor such laws, as do 55 percent of Democrats and 66 percent of independents.
Be sure to check out this related item from Oct. 26, 2012 by my colleague Jeffrey Meyer: "Obama Asked to Show ID to Vote: Where’s the Outrage at MSNBC?"
Correction (Oct. 22, 2014): Apparently the photo ID requirement for the 2014 midterm elections was waived by virtue of a law passed by the Democrat-dominated Illinois state legislature. I was unaware of that at the time of publication. The fact remains, however, that President Obama did have to produce a photo ID in 2012, which he readily did.
Check out this excellent op-ed by Scott Reeder of the Illinois News Network:
SPRINGFIELD – I dropped by my local courthouse Monday and voted early.
Before stepping into the county clerk’s office, armed sheriff’s deputies had me empty my pockets and step through a metal detector.
After I entered the Sangamon County Clerk’s office, a cheerful worker told me I didn’t need any identification to vote early this year.
Hmmm, they don’t trust the public to enter a public building unarmed, but when it comes to voting they’ll take anyone’s word at face value.
This year – and for this election only – the Illinois General Assembly has suspended safeguards the state has in place to prevent voter fraud.
For example, now you can register to vote at the same time you vote.
An ID is required for registration though.
But a photo ID, such as a driver’s license, is no longer required to vote early.
[...]
During the waning hours of the 2014 legislative session, Democratic lawmakers pushed through changes in voting procedures – for this election only.
[The Heritage Foundation's Hans] Von Spakovsky said in the decades he’s studied elections nationally, he’s never encountered a state that changed the law for one election only.
“There is only one reason they would do that – they think it will benefit their candidates. This isn’t about trying to make the election fairer. It’s about trying to help one side over another. You can’t get a marriage license without an ID. You can’t get welfare benefits without an ID. But hey you can vote.”
Von Spakovsky noted in the 1982 Illinois gubernatorial race between James R. Thompson and Adlai Stevenson III, Thompson’s margin of victory was about 5,000 votes. The U.S. Attorney for Northern Illinois at the time investigated the election and estimated 100,000 votes were fraudulently cast, he said.
That’s hardly ancient history.
