Op-Ed by Daniel Bobinski
The views and opinions expressed by contributors to True Idaho News do not necessarily reflect those of Shadowtrail Media, LLC, its founders, or owners.
Election fraud has long occurred in our country, with perhaps the most pronounced examples occurring in Tennessee in the 1940s. The corruption there got so bad it resulted in a gun battle between citizens and unethical deputies in what is now known as the Battle of Athens. And then there’s 2020, when leftists led by Nancy Pelosi used the Covid lockdowns as the perfect excuse to institute mail-in ballots. You know – for our safety.
The result? Drop boxes got STUFFED, and people who didn’t get enough votes cast by real voters won … through – well, cheating. If you haven’t seen the movie 2000 Mules, I strongly recommend it.
Unfortunately, our “mainstream” (mockingbird) media provides cover and ridicules anyone who questions election integrity. But the truth is, with cheating going on in our elections, we are living a lie.
Voting should be a “want to”
It has been said that we need to make voting easier. I wholeheartedly disagree. If anything, I think it’s vital our representative government is a true representation of the will of the people – not of those who can manipulate the systems.
It used to be that one needed to be a taxpayer or a landowner to vote. The philosophy was you needed to have skin in the game. The landowning requirements pretty much disappeared by the early 1800s, and in 1966 the Supreme Court did away with tax payment requirements.
Fair enough, but I still think that people should want to vote, not be coaxed into it. And I think only legal citizens should vote. And I think the process by which we register to vote – and actually vote on election day – should be based on the assumption that a certain number of people will try to cheat.
Why? Because as the nation’s fourth President and “Father of the Constitution” James Madison once said, “If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.”
Well, angels do not govern men. Therefore electing people to serve in our government requires a set of controls.
House Bill 54 removes loopholes
I’ll save my outline for how to fix voter fraud for a different time, but for now I want to address Idaho’s House Bill 54. The bill amends and repeals existing law to prohibit the use of student IDs for personal identification at polling places and to prohibit personal affidavits in lieu of personal identification. [See “UPDATE” below on the changed status of HB 54]
Think about it. We have colleges in Idaho and Washington State that have reciprocal agreements, therefore residents of not-so-conservative Washington have student ID’s from Idaho colleges. All it takes is them bringing an electric bill from where they live in Idaho and their student ID, and suddenly these Washington residents are voting in Idaho’s elections.
That’s because angels don’t govern college students, either.
Recently I’ve received requests to come out in opposition to House Bill 54. I’ve been told that HB 54 places a financial burden on voters by requiring them to purchase a government ID, thus creating a de facto poll tax.
I’m not buying it. You have a right to buy a house. You have the right to buy a car. You also have the right to fly on a plane. But to exercise those rights you will need to show a government-issued ID.
Those IDs are required to maintain the integrity and/or safety of the process. Don’t we need integrity when it comes to our elections?
Shouldn’t it be the actual citizens of Idaho choosing who will represent them or perform a role in our government – especially when these elected individuals receive our tax money as compensation for serving in those roles?
The system screams for integrity, but alas, angels do not govern men. Or women.
Ask yourself a question or two
For all the concern I’ve heard about how HB 54 places an imposition on people, let’s ask a few questions.
- Shouldn’t only Idaho citizens vote in Idaho’s elections?
- Do you know any Idaho citizens of voting age who do not have a government-issued ID?
If your answer to the second question is yes, could the specific individuals you have in mind afford to get a simple government-issued ID? ($10 for ages 0 – 20; $15 for ages 21+)
Some might argue for the homeless, saying they cannot afford an ID. No worries, the legislature fixed that in 2022 by passing Senate Bill 1268. Any homeless person who can prove they’re homeless gets a free ID paid for by the state.
For the non-homeless, rather than have our elections compromised, maybe concerned citizens could hold a local fundraiser to raise the $10 for that 18-year old who cannot afford an ID (I understand those cases are estimated to be somewhere between 0.001% and 0.00001% of potential voters). You know, create a community “care” bucket so anyone who thinks an ID requirement places an undue burden on people can skip a couple of froo – froo cappa fluffa skinny lattes at Starbucks and show they care.
Because I care about election integrity, I’ll put my money where my mouth is. I’ll be the first to throw $20 in that proverbial bucket – for some non-homeless person of age who wants to vote and can prove they cannot afford the $10 – $15 to get a government ID. [See “UPDATE” below on the changed status of HB 54]
But because integrity is important in more than just elections, our theoretical non-homeless Idaho resident who wants to take advantage of this will need more than a student ID to prove an Idaho-issued ID is out of their financial reach.
Angels don’t govern men, and election integrity is vital. Without sufficient controls in place, we end up living a lie.
UPDATE: THURSDAY, FEB 16 at 1:00 PM
True Idaho News was notified by HB 54 sponsor Tina Lambert that the HB 54 has been set aside and the two issues have each been given their own bill.
Repealing the use of student IDs is now addressed in HB 124.
Also, HB 126 now looks like the state will provide FREE state-issued ID for those who can prove Idaho citizenship but do not have a state-issued ID.
Looks like Daniel Bobinski will be able to keep his $20.
Daniel Bobinski is the editor at True Idaho News.
The views and opinions expressed by contributors to True Idaho News do not necessarily reflect those of Shadowtrail Media, LLC, its founders, or owners.
