Voting ID Requirements Raise Concerns
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}To buy a beer, rent a movie or board a plane, identification must be shown. But for voting, most states don't bother requiring Americans to flash ID.
In the last presidential election (search), just 11 states required identification to vote, while four states made it optional. In 36 states, all a voter had to do was sign a page or say his or her name.
In the wake of the 2000 election, lawmakers in 25 states introduced legislation tightening ID procedures. But in most cases, reform efforts failed because of partisan politics.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Democrats argue that verification requirements disenfranchise immigrants and those unlikely to carry an ID, like the homeless. Republicans argue that a photo ID is the best way to reduce fraud.
"One of the dirty little secrets about voter ID: It is truly intended to keep minorities and poor people from going to the polls," said Arizona Democratic state Rep. Steve Gallardo (search).
A bill in Arizona to require ID to be shown is expected to pass, but the state's Democratic governor has already threatened a veto. Similar bills in Kansas and Iowa were already vetoed by Democratic governors.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Click here to watch a report by Fox News' William La Jeunesse.