"Vote early, vote often" no more

A voter ID as an election safeguard
Since the 2000 election and the hanging chads, many attempts have been made to reform the voting systems against voting fraud. Almost half of the states now require voter identification in the form of a photo ID. In a few states, this is considered to be a poll tax. Specifically in Missouri, the small percentage of voters who cannot afford a photo ID took the law up to its highest court. In most cases, the courts ruled that at least for now, voter ID is the way to go. If faith in the election system is restored, it is probable that more voters will trust the elections and participation will increase.
Voting fraud has recurred numerous times in American politics. The possibility of required voter ID has a both a positive and negative side to it, as illustrated by two historical eras. During the political machine periods of the early 20th Century, Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley manipulated the voter registration by using names of the deceased to secure more votes. Al Capone, a Chicago contemporary of Daley, is attributed with saying, “Vote early and vote often.” A voter ID would not allow individuals to vote multiple times using false identities. In contrast, compelling all to have an ID may in fact disenfranchise some. Not all people will obtain voting IDs due to lack of information, language barrier, or inability to negotiate the system. In the late 19th Century, after blacks had obtained the right the vote with the 15th Amendment, Jim Crow laws were enacted in the South to prevent the colored from voting. Southerners made it extremely difficult for blacks to vote. There were literacy tests, poll fees, and character reviews that stood in the way of voting. One thing the U.S. certainly does not want to do is intimidate its voter pool (only 63.8% of the total voting population did so in 2004) while weeding out the voting frauds.