Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

EDITORIAL: ID at the polls

It's hard to believe, but for years voters have been allowed to cast ballots in Nevada without showing any identification. Instead, poll workers simply tried to match the signature the voter signed with the John Hancock they had on the precinct register.

Needless to say, such lax standards enhance the potential for fraud. The argument propagated by many Democrats, though, was that forcing people to show identification might discourage people from voting.

Thanks to federal legislation, however, things will be different in the upcoming primary and general elections. The Help America Vote Act requires that a voter present a driver's license, ID card, bank statement, utility bill, or some other official document that identifies the individual and his address.

Clark County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax doesn't believe resident will have a problem with the requirement.

"Half the people walk in and pull out an ID expecting poll attendants to ask for it," he said. "We've had more complaints in the past from people mad at us for not asking for ID."

Good. This should have been a state requirement long before the federal government got involved. No, we don't want to erect barriers in front of those seeking to exercise their franchise. But demanding some form of identification is hardly unreasonable. And the integrity of the process must always be the first and foremost concern.