The Supreme Court recently allowed the state of Indiana to continue enforcing a law that requires voter identification to be necessary when citizens place their votes at the polls. However, Democrats argue that it is unconstitutional because it limits people’s abilities to vote. Republicans argue that it is necessary to prevent voter fraud.

Currently, 24 states already require voters to show identification to dismiss the problem of fraud but studies prove that fraud through false identification does not exist at the polls. National Public Radio interviewed The Century Foundation’s Democracy Fellow, Tova Wang, who researched the existence of voter fraud at the polls and said, “We found that although there is a fraud in the system, it does not take place at the polls.”

So with voter fraud non-existent at the polls, is it really necessary to put a limitation on citizens’ right to freely vote?

The New York Times reported on Sept. 25, 2007, that, “Voter fraud problems of this sort in Indiana have been sporadic, at most, a fact the plaintiffs say shows that the law is unnecessary.”

With little or no voter fraud, it seems that enforcing a voter ID would only make voting a tedious thing to do for some.

Voter ID requirement places a limitation on making voting accessible. During election time, voters have the convenience of having an election poll set up in their neighborhoods. However, unlike the easy access of a voter polling station, the requirement of an ID would enforce citizens to go to the nearest DMV, which sometimes could be miles away.

Democrats argue that many of the voters who are expecting to turn out in the next presidential election are the elderly and the poor who may see obtaining a voter ID as an inconvenience. Voting becomes a hassle or inaccessible to some because of the locations where they can obtain an ID.

So, the easy process of going to your local polls would be more like getting up early and waiting in line to get your picture taken at the DMV and most people would try to avoid an inconvenience.

As a citizen living in a democracy, I try to do my part by voting in elections that are significantly important to me. Some people often say that they choose not to vote because it does not matter. However, if we are unaware of the issues that are placed on ballots, then how can we take action or become knowledgeable on the laws that govern us?

Voting in some ways allows us to acknowledge the policies being made by our legislature and shows that we do care about issues and want to contribute. The ability to vote also has to be easily accessible to all citizens without burden; if citizens are unable to vote because of certain limitations, then how can we call our voting system a free election?

Anna Torres can be reached at [email protected]