In North Dakota's Next Election You'll Need An ID To Vote

North Dakota has some of the most lax voting requirements in the nation. There is no voter registration, and to get a ballot you can either have someone else at the polls vouch for you or you can fill out an affidavit which isn’t checked out until well after your ballot has already been counted.

Whether or not this lax system is resulting in a lot of fraud is up for debate. Democrats say there is almost no fraud, but Republicans would argue that we aren’t exactly doing a lot to look for fraud either. Either way, the potential for major fraud is there, so why not fix it before there’s a problem?

Which is what legislation the North Dakota House sent to Governor Dalrymple does. Now, to get a ballot, North Dakotans will have to show an ID which has a date of birth on it and a residential address.

According to Democrats, requiring even this minimal level of identification is an affront to the “fundamental right” to vote.

Assistant House Democratic leader Corey Mock of Grand Forks says the ID law isn’t needed. He says it’s wrong to require someone to have a state-issued ID card to exercise the fundamental right to vote.

Fargo state Rep. Jim Kasper says the law is needed in part because North Dakota is getting thousands of new residents. He says the ID law will help ensure the people are eligible to vote, and that they’re voting in the correct precinct.

A cynic might be tempted to argue that Democrats are more concerned about the thousands of college students in the state’s two big university towns who frequently tip elections for Democrats their votes than they are with “fundamental rights.”