Is it racist to require a photo ID?

That's what the American Civil Liberties Union, Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials and Rainbow/PUSH Coalition seem to think.

As reported at CNN, the state of Georgia has received approval from the Justice Department for a change in their voting laws. The Voting Rights Act of years ago requires states with a history of suppressing minority voting to get federal permission to change their voting laws. While it would be nice to think this isn't necessary, I don't see any great harm in having the rule in place, either.

After all the voter fraud in the last presidential election, many states have been looking for ways to keep voters honest. With the approval from the Justice Department, Georgia becomes the first state to require photo ID for voters.

I think this is a common-sense solution. If you say you are entitled to vote, you should be able to prove your identity to the polling official before they let you exercise your right to vote. We require photo IDs to board an airplane, write or cash a check, cross our borders, or even to enter many buildings. Why should we not require a photo ID for our most important civic duty?

The Republican-backed measure sparked racial tension during the state's legislative session last spring. Most of Georgia's black lawmakers walked out at the state Capitol when it was approved.

Democrats had argued the idea was a political move by the GOP to depress voting among minorities, the elderly and the poor -- all traditional bases for Democrats.

The measure would eliminate the use of several currently accepted forms of voter identification, such as Social Security cards, birth certificates or utility bills.

Quick: which of these do you have on your person right at this moment? Social Security card, birth certificate, utility bills (Indiana requires two, from different utilities), driver's license. If you're like most people, you probably only carry your DL, perhaps also your Social Security card. I bet if they kept any records, they'd find that 95% or more of ID's presented at the polls were photo ID's anyway.

"The decision to clear the measure now gives Georgia the most draconian voter identification requirement in the nation," said Daniel Levitas of the American Civil Liberties Union's Voting Rights Project in Atlanta.

Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, a veteran of the civil rights movement, said, "It is unbelievable, it is unreal the Department of Justice -- an agency who is supposed to protect the American public by enforcing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 -- is now involved in attempts to weaken the act.

"This decision takes us back to the dark past of literacy tests and other insidious devices that were carefully devised to hamper the participation of all of our citizens in the political process," Lewis said.

"carefully devised to hamper"? If I lived in Georgia and was a minority, elderly or poor, I would be offended at that statement! He is implying people who are poor, old, or not white don't have photo IDs. I'm not positive, but I think all 50 states issue a "State ID" with photo for identification of non-drivers. There's usually a nominal fee to obtain the card - perhaps they think these folks can't afford it?

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, head of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, said he was disturbed by the federal decision.

"My fear is that this will spread across the country like a virus," he said. "This just shows how the anti-civil rights' machinery is in motion."

Please note that protecting the vote has two major components: 1. Making sure legitimate voters can vote unimpeded; and 2. Making sure nobody votes illegitimately. Most of the outcry from the Democrats focuses on the first point - accusations of turning away legitimate voters, or making it hard to reach polls. The second point is at least as important if not more. Guaranteeing I can register my one vote is only useful if I can be sure that others are not recording multiple illegitimate votes. I don't mind being outvoted by a true majority, but stuffing the ballot box with fake votes is not right, no matter who does it or for what reasons. Allowing fake votes dilutes the value of the honest votes.

Rev. Jackson, if you really want to protect civil rights, please make sure you are protecting my right to have my vote count in full.