Writer disagrees with creating voter ID law

Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz has once again proposed that Iowa citizens be required to provide state-issued ID in order to vote. He is quoted in the Des Moines Register in November 2010 as saying, "You have to show an ID before you get on an airplane, open a checking account and even to buy a beer. So why not when you vote?"

Because the right to vote is nothing like the privilege of buying a beer, Secretary Schultz.

Voting is a right guaranteed and protected by the Constitution. It is the fundamental right upon which a democracy is built. Several state governments over the years have tried to make it harder for citizens to vote by imposing literacy tests, poll taxes, property requirements and other obstacles to keep them away from the polls. Secretary Schultz's proposed voter ID bill, like those being passed and considered in other states, is simply the newest version of this tactic.

We do not have to show photo ID when we go to church. We do not have to show photo ID to publicly express our opinions. We do not have to show photo ID to hold a political meeting. We do not have to show photo ID to walk lawfully down the street without being detained by the government. These are all constitutional rights, like voting, protected from government restriction.

Some might ask, "What about the right to bear arms? Don't we have to show photo ID to get a gun permit?" Yes, we do, but the Iowa legislature recently made it easier - not harder - to get a gun permit. It would seem many of our elected representatives are in favor of protecting some constitutional rights, but not others.

I wonder if they are aware of what history teaches us about countries where it easier to get a gun than to vote.

Don Rogerson
415 N 3rd St
Red Oak