November 7, 2006 | By Nathaniel Ward

The case for voter identification

Requiring ID is a good way to prevent voter fraud.

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Some liberal groups are relying on outright fraud to help carry the day in today’s election. As the DC Examiner reports, “a federal grand jury in Kansas City indicted four persons working for the group Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, accusing them of submitting more than 15,000 voter registration forms with fictitious names, phony signatures and bogus addresses.” ACORN, the newspaper explains, has used dubious tactics in Missouri and elsewhere to garner voter registrations and ensure confusion at polling places—and allowing voter fraud.

Clearly, something has to be done if we are to ensure the integrity of our nation’s elections. As Heritage President Ed Feulner argued in May, “A good first step would be to require every voter to show a photo ID.” He counters liberal arguments that such a law would disenfranchise poor and minority voters, pointing out that there are solutions available, like making free identifications available to those who cannot afford them.

“For an election to be valid, we need to know that it was fair and that everyone who voted was eligible to do so,” Feulner writes. “Requiring an ID before a voter steps into the booth would be a big step in that direction.”

Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.