Links   E-mail                         Print Advertisement

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld a state's right to require photo identification before anyone can vote at the polls doesn't have much practical application here. But Secretary of State Sam Reed thinks it could be another solid argument for implementation of the federal Real ID Act.

That, in turn, could turn into a valuable tool for dealing with illegal immigration. More on that later.

The main problem with applying a photo identification requirement in this state is the move to all-mail elections in 37 of 39 counties. King and Pierce counties still maintain poll sites, but the vast majority of their voters voluntarily choose the mail ballot, and both counties are expected to convert to all-mail elections in the near future, Reed said.

Yakima County is vote-by-mail, but it does maintain three sites readily accessible by handicapped people, those needing translation help or others just wanting to drop off ballots rather than mail them in. They are at Toppenish High School and the Sunnyside Community Center on election day and the auditor's office in Yakima during the 20-day voting period for mail elections. County Auditor Corky Mattingly says they have "very limited" use.

Thus, there are very few voters at polls in this state to check for photo identification.

Still, the high court got this one right in concept. By a 6-3 vote, the panel held that Indiana's strict photo identification requirements meet constitutional muster in a precedent-setting ruling that could open the door for other states to adopt similar requirements.

We do not find it burdensome, nor did the court, to require someone to prove who they are at the polls. We would even advocate such a requirement at the time a person registers to vote.

One has to produce photo ID to cash a check. Why is it any more burdensome in exercising a basic American right that, unfortunately, can be prone to abuse, if not fraud? The memories of widespread voting problems in Florida's version of the 2000 presidential election and this state's controversial 2004 gubernatorial stakes are too fresh.

Washington state requires voters to show proof of identification but not photo ID. Acceptable forms of ID include a driver's license or state ID card -- or a voter-registration card, a utility bill, student ID card, a bank statement or even a paycheck.

Past attempts by Republicans to require photo identification have failed in a Democratically controlled Legislature. State Sen. Linda Evans Parlette, R-Wenatchee, announced Wednesday that she will try again in the next legislative session.

Real ID is a federal effort to implement a national identification card that would in turn be the catalyst for developing an all-important national database. Approved in 2005, implementation has been delayed by some states over concerns about privacy issues and costs.

A related benefit of a national identification card could be in helping curb illegal immigration, because a person must be a citizen of the United States and a legal resident of the state to register to vote here.

Real ID will require the states' licensing departments to obtain proof of citizenship. When that happens, Reed said he would ask the Legislature to require a driver's license or state identification card to register to vote.

"We are looking at a way of checking on citizenship, just as we check for felons through the State Patrol and Department of Corrections or for deceased people still on the rolls through the state Department of Health and Social Security Administration," he said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

All are efforts to protect the integrity of the ballot in light of voter reforms launched at the state and federal levels in recent years.

Voting is a fundamental American right, but one that also has a few basic restrictions. It is no more unreasonable to ask people to prove who they are when they register or cast a ballot than it is when they cash a check for a few groceries.

We think photo ID requirement should be required for both registration and voting at the polls.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Sarah Jenkins, Bill Lee and Karen Troianello.