The Vote Defenders found a very interesting statistic over at the Washington Post.  These results were posted on Breitbart.com:  74% of Americans support voter ID laws.  

People have a hard time seeing any valid reason to resist requiring a photo ID at a polling place, when photo IDs are easy to obtain and cost nothing in many states.  

While Illinois does charge a $20 fee for a state ID to anyone under 65 who is not disabled or homeless, there are agencies in Illinois through the Department of Human Services who work with needy people to help them maneuver the paperwork to obtain a state ID even if they don't have $20 in their pockets (which involves them going on SNAP and obtaining emergency cash benefits that can then be used to attain a state ID).  

If someone's homeless, he or she qualifies for a free state ID in Illinois by having a recognized agency dealing with the homeless complete a form that certifies that person as homeless under federal statutes.  Something similar happens with the disabled, in that they have their Social Security disability documents as access to a free state ID in Illinois.  Anyone over 65 automatically receives a FREE lifetime ID in Illinois that does not have to ever be renewed again. 

There really aren't a lot of arguments for NOT needing a photo ID to vote when photo IDs are easily obtainable by any US citizen who wants them, even in states like Illinois that don't offer free state IDs.  

The Vote Defenders have all had to present IDs when entering restaurants that served alcohol, renting a car, writing a check, applying for anything from a job down to a library card or video store membership, entering a government building, using a credit card at the Post Office and other commercial establishments, and generally going about life in the state of Illinois.

It's not a burden to show ID to vote...but it sure is an effective hurdle against voter fraud because it makes it just that much harder for anyone to vote for a dead person or to take away someone else's vote by impersonating that person at the polling place.  

What's your take on this issue?