Sounds like Mr. Bevilacqua should have done a little research into what was required in adavance of physically moving around, stumbling over straw-man arguments to support his story.

This piece has absolutely no relevance to Washington voters, because the permanent absentee ballot system our wise solons in Olympia have given us makes checking voter ID impossible. Under our system, all you need to do is find a ballot laying on the sidewalk and you're a voter.

Two comments:

Breneman:

From The Grammar Curmudgeon:

> You lie down on the sofa to watch TV and spend the entire evening lying there; you do not lay down on the sofa to watch TV and spend the entire evening laying there.

> If you see something lying on the ground, it is just resting there; if you see something laying on the ground, it must be doing something else, such as laying eggs.

> When you go to Bermuda for your vacation, you spend your time lying (not laying) on the beach (unless, of course, you are engaged in sexual activity and are, in the vernacular, laying someone on the beach).

Lie is an intransitive verb (one that does not take an object), meaning "to recline." Its principal parts are lie (base form), lay (past tense), lain (past participal), and lying (present participle).

[Lie meaning "to tell an untruth" uses lied for both the past tense and past participle, with lying as the present participle.]

Lay is a transitive verb (one that takes an object), meaning "to put" or "to place." Its principal parts are lay (base form), laid (past tense), laid (past participle), and laying (present participle).

The two words have different meanings and are not interchangeable.

http://www.grammarmudge.cityslide.com/articles/article/992333/8992.htm

Cameron:

Yes, anyone who is able to read Crosscut (and even knows what it is) would not get any sympathy for a lack of online research prior to launching off to PennDOT, similar to Mr. Bevilacqua's failing, nor for his fumbling the bus numbers, but these niggles are totally beside the point, which is that the poor or handicapped or marginally employed are not only unlikely to have access to the research capability, but are also being put through egregiously ridiculous hoops to achieve voting status.

Many poor don't have an address at which to receive mail -- unless they've installed mailboxes under the freeway bridge. How many carry around birth certificates in their garbage bag luggage or can lay hands on their social security cards (stolen at the shelter?). I know some of them, and they don't and can't.

Here's my estimate of their costs to get the PA voter ID card:

$29 - half day pay at minimum wage (if their bosses will let them off at all)

$2 - bus fare going

$10 - copy of birth certificate they probably never had

Total Cost = $43.00

This doesn't even account for the cost and effort of running down the birth certificate and social security card.

So what if this doesn't apply to Washington State. This is the growing state of affairs in many parts of the country, and can impact the composition of the lawmakers whose actions DO apply to Washington State, aside from being simply unjust, which should concern all of us.

Your correction is noted with apologies. Interesting that both a ballot and a politician can be lying on the ground, but for the politician it's an active verb.

To be sure that Mr. Bevilacqua did not just miss the 2 pieces of “proofs of residency” and was not playing “straw-man” per Mr. Cameron, I looked into the Pennsylvania Voter I.D. requirements.

I don’t think my web access to the information was anymore arduous than another person with a handy computer and internet access; for me a cost of $1000 in computer, and $100+ a month in Comcast internet and TV fees. I am not poverty level—at the moment. Persons less fortunate would need to visit a library (have a library card) with computers, or an internet charge station—if those are still available

The alternatives for getting registration ID requirements are, to visit PennDOT, or call and wait for a person, or Molly Robot. Finally, on access, one needs to have a convenient official office nearby. Mr. Bevilacqua spent 4 hours on one trip (the successful one) getting his registration [application] completed. A half-hour bus trip is definitely within town. Others will most likely spend longer time going through the process.

OK, back to the internet and access to information. I had to go to no less than 3 sites to get the information Acquiring the required pdf application and oath/affirmation documents required more links and actually recycling an earlier web page to find the link to the oath pdf. The potential voter must have access to a printer, also.

I think I spent a good half-hour getting what I believe to be the necessary information. Someone who is more intimidated by $1000 fines for lying, or prison time (I am a lucky out-of-state resident) would need to spend more time deciphering the legal jargon. I have had a lot of experience with that stuff.

Poor resident at the library internet station will likely be booted of the machine before they are finished acquiring information. The assigned time will probably be one-half hour. It took time to get onto the machine, and it will take more time to wait for the next available machine. Mr. Bevilacqua only related his time actually spent physically going to PennDOT to register.

Now, to Mr. Bevilacqua’s two proofs of residency.

Voter registration in Pennsylvania is predicated on 30 days of residency. Of the listed examples, the only document—note, one document—he could have in his possession at 31 days is a lease agreement. If I was Mr. Bevilacqua, I would grab everything I had showing a date stamp. Now, I am at the mercy of the PennDOT to accept or reject an alternative proof. Public employees are trained to be robots. “What you see is what you get.” Rejected.

Finally, the Voter ID card information implies an expiration date—nothing explicit is identified in the information from several web pages and printed pages, however. The first card is free. Apparently any others have a fee attached; and, presumably, $13.50 is the current cost. Fees always go up.

When will Mr. Bevilacqua need to repeat the voter ID ‘re-up’ process?
And, whatever happened to the 24th Amendment to the Constitution? A Poll Tax by any other name includes a special voter ID card.

I have it really hard to vote. I am mailed my ballet, and it costs me US postage and a cup of coffee with voter pamphlet in hand to vote. Or, I can drive to any drop box after receipt of my ballet and voting is free. But I can’t do this after election day. In Pennsylvania an “absentee” voter must be physically absent. Indigents are accommodated, per recent Federal regulations. Convenience is no reason.

Dbreneman listens to morons on TV and radio, and parrots the stupid remarks hate people sputter. He/she deserves the loss of freedom of intelligence "Big Brother" garners.

I really believe that Mr. Bevilacqua was being quite generous with his editorial regarding "arduous" access to voting.

Conservatives has succeeded in destroying the Constitution in the U.S. Next the powers that be will be demanding fingerprints or DNA for our mail in ballots. I cannot believe a nonexistent problem has been promoted to create a police state.

That's funny 2 cents, how do you suppose the IRS is going to audit compliance with the ACA? Do you think they might require positive ID and proof of purchase of a government approved insurance policy? Do you think the Federal Government will require proof of identity when they subsidize the purchase of insurance for the indigent? Get used to a biometricly secure national ID courtesy of the Progressives.

Proof positive that the new Jim Crow poll tax is highly effective when combined with a sluggardly bureaucracy. Which is exactly what the proto-fascist TeaPublicans want.

It's obvious Progressives don't care if an individual is eligible to vote as long as they vote the way they want them to.

Its obvious that TeaPublicans don't care if an individual is eligible to vote as long as they vote the way they want them to.

The Tea Partiers have to resort to pulling imaginary straw man BS about the ACA. The IRS has never asked me to show photo ID to file my tax return.

The healthcare crisis is a real crisis denied by the Tea Partiers while voter fraud is an imaginary crisis invented by the Tea Partiers. The do nothing Republicans only move to action over invented problems.

"The do nothing Republicans only move to action over invented problems"

Say, WMD and Iraq?

One question that never seems to be asked anymore is, "WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE OF VOTER FRAUD?????"

Do Cameron or dbrennan have ANY evidence?

The unspoken assumption here seems to be that the Democrats are registering undocumented, dead and illegal voters. Again, show me some EVIDENCE guys. When laws are changed, usually lawmakers require PROOF upon which to base their policy. No proof=No law. This whole voter ID nonsense is just a mythical witch hunt to keep voters from voting.

You were saying what? Perhaps you just don't want to believe in which case facts don't matter. Zealots are like that.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/nov/24/voter-id-is-a-good-idea-after-all/
http://www.kentucky.com/2011/03/10/1663612/former-clay-clerk-sentenced-to.html
http://www.factcheck.org/2008/10/acorn-accusations/
http://www.kentucky.com/2010/04/20/1230372/clay-county-school-employee-sentenced.html#storylink=misearch
http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2012/02/10/news/doc4f33db133dddc680350358.txt
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Ballot-case-papers-hefty-2418256.php
http://www.knickledger.com/tag/anthony-defiglio/
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/minnesota-leads-the-nation-in-voter-fraud-convictions-131782928.html

So it sounds like most of the cases are felons who voted.

To that I say, let all citizens vote. That includes felons. Where in the Constitution does it say felons can't vote? If they're out of prison, let them vote.

Isn't it called the RIGHT TO VOTE? Well, if felons can't vote, how is that a RIGHT??

You screamed where's the proof? Where's the evidence? I provided it. Now you want to argue about the type of fraud, etc. You sound like a babbling idiot. My advice you to, say what you mean, mean what you say or STFU.

Have you read these stories? How is voter ID going to prevent a crooked politician from buying votes? It won't.

Your article does reveal one REAL problem, election fraud committed by people tampering with voting machines.

"However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Parman pointed to testimony that Thompson put in more than $100,000 to buy votes in 2002, and in 2006 showed two precinct workers how to change peoples' choices on voting machines to steal votes."

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2011/03/10/1663612/former-clay-clerk-sentenced-to.html#storylink=cpy

These 'Voter ID' laws are the ultimate in BIG GOVERNMENT, brought to you by the small government conservatives. Yea right.

Is it not obvious that with Voter ID, you've now given control over your voting rights to the people whom you elect? What a monumentally stupid conflict of interest to support. At any time, the people in office can tighten up requirements to vote to exclude just enough people to keep them in office.

It's so sad to see people like dbrennan and Cameron be such willing suckers for such an obvious fraudulent scam as 'VOTER ID' laws.

The only sucker is you, don't worry though, you have plenty of company and they all sing the same song as you do.

IRS has never asked me for an ID, just wait, it's hard to audit for compliance for the ACA withour ID.

There are 230,000 illegal aliens in Washington State, many holding Washington State drivers licenses. What are the chances some have taken advantage of motor voter? Particularly when they are simply asked if they want to register to vote through motor voter. It wasn't that long ago that we had people selling Washington State drivers licenses under the tabel for cash.

How on earth could you possibly know how many illegal aliens are living in Washington State?

Cameron. You're just myth making.

Why in the hell would an illegal alien risk a felony conviction and being deported by voting? It's a huge risk on their part. You're just making stuff up. Not very convincing.

One of the examples that conservatives love to use is the James O'Keefe video showing someone going into a polling place and requesting the ballot for Eric Holder. Then they say, 'A-HA!! See, voter fraud is rampant!!'

The thing is that the person who got Eric Holder's ballot never actually voted. Why? Because James O'Keefe knows, like other people know, that committing voter fraud is a felony violation.

In order to be for Voter ID, you have to believe that someone is going to commit and felony and risk going to prison just to illegally vote. I don't believe that.

There are instances of buying votes, like what I posted. But Voter ID does NOTHING to fix this at all.

Why would illegal aliens risk deportation by actively campaigning for Patty Murray's re-election? I am not making that up either.

Read all about it.

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2013231338_immigrants23.html

Are you kidding me Cameron?? We were talking about illegal VOTING. VOTING. The article you posted is about people helping with Patty Murray's campaign. ANYONE can help with a campaign. And there is no risk of deportation from doing so. Are you kidding me???

Once again, you just show how unnecessary Voter ID laws are.

Are you kidding us Richard? They are already here illegally, probably committing ID fraud or lying on Government documents in order to work and obtain benefits. Why would they care? do you seriously think they would be concerned they might become "more" illegal?

You stated "Why in the hell would an illegal alien risk a felony conviction and being deported by voting?" I just told you, they don't care about our laws. Just like you apparently "Once again, you just show how unnecessary Voter ID laws are." If Voter ID laws are unnecessary,why should anyone obey any laws that they don't feel like following?

They they they. Wow, it's almost like you think that those illegal aliens are not really human. Kind of like all immigrants to this country were thought of -- you know, wave after wave: the Irish, the Japanese, the Germans, the Jews, the Chinese, the Russians, the Southeast Asians...all those "they's". But of course those people are OK now, they're "us"; it's the Mexicans and South Americans who come to this country to work who are the current "they".

Cameron. It's still a ridiculous argument to say that because someone is here illegally, they'll probably commit voter fraud.

That's like saying that because drives over the speed limit (breaking the law), they probably beat their wives too.

You're grasping at straws.

The bottom line is, if someone votes illegally, THAT fact is documented. It's easy to trace them back to determine if they are a legal voter or not. So find some proof instead of making odd blanket statements that all illegal immigrants are committing voter fraud. That doesn't cut it.