I a ruling that will help to uphold the integrity of our democracy, the United States Supreme Court has upheld Arizona's law requiring voters to provide photo I.D. when they cast their ballots on election day:
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled Friday that Arizona may require voters to provide photo IDs when they cast their ballots next month.
The justices cautioned that they were not issuing a ruling on the constitutionality of Arizona's law. "As we have noted, the facts in these cases are hotly contested," the court said in an unsigned five-page order.The ruling merely allows the Nov. 7 election to proceed with the photo ID law in place. Federal courts still will have to resolve a lawsuit contending that the law will disenfranchise numerous voters, particularly the elderly and minorities.
Courts in Georgia and Missouri have blocked similar laws.
Justice John Paul Stevens, in a brief concurring opinion, said the high court's action makes it more likely that the constitutional issues "will be resolved correctly on the basis of historical facts rather than speculation."
The law requires voters to prove citizenship when registering to vote and to show photo IDs when they go to the polls. The law was meant to make sure illegal immigrants weren't casting ballots.
There will be more legal challenges to voter I.D. -- and this one isn't over yet -- but this ruling is a step in the right direction. We absolutely must require reliable voter identification in every election nationwide -- or we may as well kiss our democracy goodbye.
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