By J. Christian Adams
The worst thing that could happen to American elections is to give Washington, D.C., more power, any more power. Yet I was surprised to learn that many — including supporters of President Trump who are concerned about election integrity — want to do just that.
When I wrote this piece for The Hill titled “No We Don’t Need National Voting Standards,” I was stunned to see so how many commenters have an appetite for federal, nationwide standards on voter ID.
This would be a colossal, anti-constitutional mistake. The power to mandate or standardize American voter ID laws is the same power that could one day ban all state use of voter ID. That’s Constitutional Law 101.
Let’s get something straight up front — voter ID that is free and easy to obtain should be an essential part of each state’s effort to preserve the integrity of elections. It is an important step to prevent voter fraud, but perhaps more importantly, to aid prosecutors in criminal cases when voter fraud is discovered.
Voter ID is good. But that does not mean national voter ID standards or mandates should follow.
The sleeping monster of federalized power over voter ID should not be awakened. Federal power to impose standards for nationwide voter ID is constitutionally dubious. Republicans and election integrity advocates who want to awaken it, and promote national voter identification mandates or standards, would awaken a federal beast that could ultimately ban those same mandates or standards. All across America, states are fighting the federal government so they may execute their constitutional power to craft and uphold reasonable voter qualifications, especially where keeping non-citizens from casting ballots is involved.
Federal standards over elections are the dream of the institutional Left — and the nightmare of America’s Founders.
Read more of ACRU Policy Board member J. Christian Adams’ PJ Media article.
