Letter - Treat voting as a privilege

To the editor:

I guess I disagree with Dennis Dalman on the voter ID amendment. After seeing the video of a young white male being offered a chance to use the U.S. Attorney General’s ballot just by knowing his address, one has to wonder why Eric Holder doesn’t feel that not having an ID law is a good way to protect our elections from voter fraud.

The people we always hear are at risk of being disenfranchised by a voter ID law are the elderly, the poor and minorities. I want to know how the elderly got signed up for Social Security and are able to cash a Social Security check without an ID. How can any of the poor sign up for government assistance, unemployment, buy cigarettes or alcohol or cash their checks without an ID. And, how do they dare to drive anywhere without an ID?

To enter many of our government facilities, or take advantage of any of their programs, one must have some form of ID. So, why do many public officials feel it is wrong to require a voter to have an ID? Elections decide not only who will lead us, but also many of our financial votes as well as other issues. I do not want people to be able to use fraud to make these decisions when they need to have an ID for so many other basic functions in our society.

We have no way of knowing how many improper ballots are cast each year – one is too many and a few hundred can decide a political office, a tax or levy vote and who knows what else. Voting is more than just a right; it’s a privilege and needs to be treated as such by our leaders and everyone who wants to have an honest voice in our political process.

Pryce Score

Kensington, MN

Tags: opinion, letters