Voter identification will help fight fraud

The Missouri Legislature is discussing a proposal that would toughen voting laws in the state and sadly, the Democratic party is opposing the improvements. The bill would simply require voters to show photo identification when they vote. But the Democratic party says the bill would prohibit some Missourians from voting.

Coming on the heels of a major vote fraud in East St. Louis, this legislation is important from several directions. A St. Louis voting officials testified this week concerning voter fraud in the 22nd Ward of St. Louis where as many as 300 of 500 new voter registrations may be fraudulent. Believe me, there are those in our state who want to defraud the system for their own political gain.

Rep. Yaphett El-Amin, a representative from St. Louis, sees the move as a racial issue. The Representative believes that the measure is designed to keep some voters away from the polls. At some point, the public is going to get their fill of these bogus civil rights arguments. I have already reached that point.

It makes all the sense in the world to require a voter to identify themselves. There should be no opposition whatsoever. It guarantees fair and free elections for all political parties. Without this form of identification, you open the voting process to fraud. And you don't have to look far to find examples.

St. Louis has been at the center of voting fraud accusations for years. Many of those cases have been proven accurate. Here's one simple way to eliminate that fraud. Make everyone simply prove they are who they say they are.

Missouri may indeed not have a major problem with voter fraud. But even one illegal vote taints the entire system and destroys confidence. Let's support the identification legislation and send a clear signal that Missouri elections will be fair and without any scent of abuse.