Reply #3: Indiana Voter ID Law will do little to prevent fraud [View All]

Indiana Voter ID Law will do little to prevent fraud

In her March 16 column, Andrea Neal wrote that requiring state or federal photo identification cards would deter election fraud and errors. She continued by commenting that it is a “shame that an important matter of public policy has become a victim of partisan squabbling.”

I agree that we should be doing what we can to deter fraud in elections. I also agree that important issues like fair and accurate elections should not become the victims of partisan battles. Unfortunately, Neal ignored important aspects of this issue that are not addressed by the legislation in question (SB 483) and contributed to the partisan bickering.

To begin with, Neal ignored Indiana’s current identification requirement. If a voter’s signature does not match the signature on file, the voter can be challenged. I know for a fact that this happens in Allen County every election.

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The truth of the matter is that, although many claim that there is fraud, no one knows the types or extent of the fraud in Indiana. For this reason, it is impossible to write legislation that will address the issue adequately.