I am a Portland resident and poll worker-election clerk. I write in support of L.D. 1083, which requires a photo ID for a registered voter to receive a ballot at the polls.

I am no fan of paperwork, but the fact that registered voters only need state their name and their address to get a ballot does create an opening for losing candidates to cry foul. L.D. 1083 closes that loophole. Even though I grew up in Portland and have spent most of my 67 years here, I recognized only a few of the hundreds of people who came to the polling place where I have worked the last three elections.

The fact is, in our highly mobile society, we don’t know our neighbors anymore. To give assurance to the community, and to take the argument of voter fraud away from disgruntled losers, L.D. 1083 is more than worth the minor inconvenience of bringing an ID.

Importantly, this bill requires the Secretary of State to furnish a photo ID at no cost to any eligible voter who asks, so the burden is far less than to get a driver’s license, passport or other acceptable ID. It can’t be racist any more than it is to insist on a driver’s license to drive, proof of name and address to cash a check, proof of age when sidling up to a bar, or proof of identity to board a plane or get a COVID-19 shot at the Expo.


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