The Delaware General Assembly is expected to deliberate multiple proposals this year to change our state’s elections process. Same-day voter registration and “no-excuse” absentee balloting are two of the measures that will likely be debated by the legislature in the next few months.
While I am open to considering any sensible voting reform, I also believe lawmakers have an obligation to ensure the integrity of that system. If we are to maintain integrity as we adopt changes intended to improve voter convenience, we need to include a valid identification requirement.
Airlines, banks, even convenience store clerks selling cigarettes regularly ask citizens to display valid identification. Currently, a citizen wishing to vote can show a utility bill addressed to his or her home as a form of ID. If you attempt to board an airplane using this method, you will be leaving the airport disappointed and no closer to your destination. If a valid photo identification is required for a simple business transaction, like buying a six-pack of beer, why should we accept anything less when an individual wants to cast a vote — one of the most powerful and important rights of citizenship?
I personally witnessed the early-voting process conducted in our state prior to Election Day. The Department of Elections workers required and documented the valid identification the voter presented.
Rightly or wrongly, millions of Americans believe significant voter fraud occurred during November’s elections. That perception, regardless of whether it has a factual underpinning, threatens to undermine our democratic system by eroding public faith in the process.
We need to win back the trust of all those citizens who harbor suspicions that ballots are not being honestly cast or accurately counted. To this end, I will be introducing legislation requiring voters to display valid photo identification at their polling place or when submitting an application for an absentee ballot.
My proposal is a fair and rational requirement that will provide consistency to whatever means a registered voter in Delaware uses to exercise his/her right to vote. After one of the more divisive election cycles in our nation’s history, let us work together to eliminate a source of profound uncertainty by enacting this simple requirement.
Rep. Lyndon Yearick
R-Camden
