Voter ID bills have the backing of both Republican gubernatorial candidates

Identifying all voters at the ballot box with photo ID is a common sense way to restore faith in the integrity of our electoral system according to both of the leading GOP candidates for governor The Joint Committee on Voting Laws heard a pair of bills Tuesday by State Sen Peter Durant and state Rep Donald Berthiaume Jr each of which would establish a voter ID requirement under state law Asking voters to show ID is a reasonable request mentioned former Baker Administration MBTA chief Brian Shortsleeve in a declaration ahead of the hearing Shortsleeve noted a change in the law wouldn t even make the Bay State an outlier but rather just another one of the about three dozen states which already ask voting age adults to prove they are who they say they are before casting a ballot A photo identification is required to fly buy a cell phone open a bank account pick up a prescription and even attend the Massachusetts Democrat State Convention Shortsleeve noted His Republican primary opponent and fellow Baker Administration alumnus Mike Kennealy mentioned that he is also strong supporter of the state adopting a voter ID law and he added that he persons of interest a majority of Bay State voters would agree with the need Much like Shortsleeve Kennealy noted that the ballot box is one of the sparse places where Bay State adults don t need to show any form of identification before participating In in the current era s world you need an ID to board a plane buy certain medications or even enter countless buildings he reported It stands to reason that voting the very foundation of our democratic republic should be held to the same standard he added According to Shortsleeve because elections have consequences it s beyond significant that the process is completed in a trustworthy manner I advocacy Massachusetts joining the growing list of states requiring voter identification at the polls With the costly surge of foreigners into our state it is especially essential that we pass a voter identification law he mentioned Opponents of voter ID laws say that U S elections are already quite secure and exhibit very little evidence of fraud Implementing a voter ID requirement according to information provided by the American Civil Liberties Union works better at providing additional hurdles for low-income voters before they enjoy their rights than it does at solving voter fraud According to the National Conference of State Legislatures there are states with specific form of voter ID law Gov Maura Healey s didn t provide comment on either piece of statute when solicited but stated instead that the governor would review any ordinance that reaches her desk