LETTER: Voter photo identification requirement overdue

To the editor:

I am in complete agreement with state Sen. Barbara Cegavske regarding voter photo identification, a standard that is long overdue in Nevada (“Secretary of state candidate Cegavske tells Hispanics voter ID law needed,” June 19 Review-Journal).

The purpose of requiring photo ID to vote is not to discriminate or disenfranchise voters, but to ensure only citizens (those who possess identification) are voting and elections are fair. Photo identification laws do not ask individuals to take a literacy test and provide unnecessary documents, like burdens that were once imposed on African-Americans in the South. Although many individuals would disagree with Sen. Cegavske’s proposal, recent events have shown that a law like this is desperately needed.

Voter photo identification laws are like security screenings at airports; you cannot get through to the gates until your identification has been validated and you are cleared. The assurance that only eligible voters cast ballots for our future representatives is just as important as security when boarding an airplane. Photo ID laws ensure the integrity of elections. Who knows how many votes have been cast illegally?

LARMAYA KILGORE

LAS VEGAS