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One Person, One Vote—Or, So We Thought?
The Republican Party of Orange County regularly solicits the views and news of the state and federal delegation. Please read this week's Op-Ed by California State Senator Tom Harman
There are several fundamental principles of our democratic system of government. However, in my mind, the single most important principle is the concept of one person, one vote.
But, this principle is under siege!
Common sense dictates that providing proper identification is essential if we are going to maintain the integrity of the voting process. If a voter is not required to show ID, the one person, one vote principle is meaningless.
To combat voter fraud, I have introduced Senate Bill 173. This legislation is a common sense approach to the voter fraud problem. It requires a voter to provide a valid form of identification to establish their identity and proof of residency. The types of identification that could be used range from a California driver’s license or ID card to any other identification the Secretary of State deems appropriate.
Undoubtedly radical social advocates will soon come forward in an attempt to defeat this proposal. Their claim will be that additional training of elections workers will be required, lines at the polls will be longer, and in the end, people will be discouraged from voting. In response to that argument however, I encourage a closer reading of the bill. SB 173 establishes a task force within the Secretary of State’s office composed of senior citizens and the disabled to successfully implement the provisions of this new mandate. It is the intent of this new task force to ensure that the voting rights of all are equally protected.
It seems to me that if people have to provide ID when paying with a check or credit card, there should be no undue hardship for them to provide ID when choosing their elected representatives. Protecting our democratic system against identity fraud should be a priority among legislators, not a backdoor to garner a few "extra" fraudulent votes.
Right now, California law only requires that voters recite their names and addresses before being given a ballot at the polling place. By only asking for a name and address, without any proof of identity, the door is left wide open to voter fraud. We need to have safeguards in place that will eliminate multiple votes being cast by single voters.
I find it troubling that California lags far behind many other states—and even Mexico for that matter—in requiring voter ID at the polls. As a result, California has been home to some of the most brazen examples of voter fraud. The best way to avoid disputed elections is to make sure as few problems as possible happen while votes are being cast. Isn’t it time for California to join the growing list of other states in protecting the integrity of our democratic process? I say it is, and that’s why I have authored SB 173. Voter fraud must be stopped.
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