Photo voter ID is required in Arkansas, California, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Wisconsin. A nonphoto ID is required in Alabama, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas. That’s 18 out of 50 states. First-time voters can vote in a federal election if they register by mail and show an ID at the polls. No ID is required if in person. In Maine, we are not required to show an ID to vote unless we register on Election Day; then, we will need a photo ID and proof of residence.

Here is a list of things we cannot do without a photo ID: buy alcohol, open a bank account, apply for food stamps, apply for welfare, get married, apply for hunting license, rent a hotel, apply for fishing license, buy a cellphone, pick up a prescription, visit a casino, hold a protest or rally, donate blood, purchase mature-rated videos, purchase tobacco products or apply for unemployment.

It seems strange that we must have an ID to do all these everyday activities necessary to life and yet we can decide on who is to run the most important position in the world – the president of the United States of America – without positive identification. Surely, the presidency is more important than any of these aforementioned items. What’s wrong with this picture?

Let’s put some importance back into our elections, shall we?

Diane Vernesoni
Topsham

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