Meeting The GOP Halfway

 I'm not a huge proponent of the idea that if a thing is bipartisan, that makes it good. I also think 98% of the Republican caterwauling about electoral fraud is a bad faith effort to suppress the votes of those they don't want <cough> black people <cough> voting.

But there is one complaint by rank and file Republicans that does have a certain logic to it. You have to show ID for a bunch of reasons, why not voting?

Now, obviously, there are circumstances where you have to have an ID for legitimate reasons like proving you're of legal age or that you are actually who your say you are at the bank or doctor's office. You also have to show ID to fly in an airplane. 

None of these are fundamental rights. Voting is.

Still, "why should I have to show my ID to board a plane, but not when voting" is a superficially plausible argument. The Brennan Center points out that millions of Americans don't have government issued IDs, and those numbers are especially high amongst minority groups. It's unclear if the people without IDs are, in fact, voters. Tens of millions of Americans are not. It's also unclear if those numbers have moved any since they were accumulated prior to 2010.

But, OK. Voters should have photo IDs in order to vote, even if in-person voter fraud isn't a thing.

So, let's give everyone a government issued photo ID. 

- For everyone who registers to vote, they get a voter ID card.
- For everyone who's already registered to vote, every effort will be made - including a mobile ID van - to get them a photo ID.

I realize engaging with bad faith arguments is a bad idea. The argument about photo ID is only partly in bad faith. There's a logic to it, even if it's unnecessary. 

Remove the argument by getting everyone who's registered to vote a photo ID. Not only will it allow them to vote, they can also use it at banks, airports and wherever.

Marry the legislation with providing everyone with a photo ID to something else, like guaranteed in-person, no-questions-asked absentee voting. Or increased funding for secure voting machines (since it's likely to be Trumpists fucking with then security of the machines these days).

You aren't passing the John Lewis Act until you get over 55 Democratic Senators and a Democratic House. Find some common ground and pass SOMETHING to insure ballot access.

Even if it means engaging with shitty, cynical bullshit.