Driehaus: Election reform should be bipartisan

For immediate release: Monday, Dec. 12, 2005

CONTACT: John Kohlstrand (614) 466-9036 or (614) 595-4936

Driehaus: Voting is at the heart of our democracy.

Election reform should be bipartisan.

House Democratic Whip Steve Driehaus, D-Cincinnati, offered this statement today on legislation that would require all Ohioans to present identification in order to vote. The legislation, House Bill 3, is expected to receive a Senate floor vote as soon as Tuesday, with a possible House vote on Wednesday:

We worked very hard in a bipartisan manner here in the House last May to craft a new election law that many Democrats supported. It was a sincere effort. There were compromises in the final version of House Bill 3, but it was a genuinely bipartisan effort.

Everything has changed. By insisting that hardworking, honest Ohioans present identification cards in order to exercise their civil right to vote, Senate Republicans are violating that spirit of bipartisanship.

It’s a shame. There are some good ideas in this bill.

But requiring identity cards at polling places goes too far. Voter ID is a solution in search of a problem. Out of 9 million votes cast in Ohio in the 2002 and 2004 elections, only four cases of voting fraud could be found. How many more honest Ohioans will be turned away next year if this ID requirement becomes law?

Voting is at the heart of our democracy. Any plan to change the way we exercise this fundamental civic duty should be bipartisan.

Instead, Republicans seem determined to ram their plan through on a party line vote. They did the same thing on campaign finance reform a year ago, and we see where that’s gotten us.

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