To listen to Democrat politicians about government-issued photo IDs, in the age smartphones and the Internet, boggles the rational mind. Democrats would have you believe that requiring ID for voting is a recent and burdensome phenomenon. Yet, virtually every country on earth, except the United States, requires government issued ID in order for individuals to vote. Indeed, in many countries around the world, absentee voting is not permitted: Show up with your ID, or don’t cast a vote.

167 Years and Counting

Surprisingly to many people, the photo ID has been with us for quite a long time. In 1854, a French photographer by the name of Adolphe Disderi perfected a method for creating miniature portraits. In 1857, the Duke of Parma devised a business card that included a small portrait of himself. By 1859, the notion of carrying a photo ID on one’s person had spread from Europe to the U.S. 

By the time of the U.S. Civil War, photographs printed on cards became a standard. In uniform, soldiers for both the Union and the Confederacy had their pictures taken before they went off to war. They also brought with them pictures of their families and loved ones.

In 1876, at the Centennial exposition held in Philadelphia, organizers needed a method to protect legitimate season passes, paid for by patrons, against unauthorized and bogus passes devised by non-paying, wannabe attendees. So, by using a variety of procedures unavailable to laypeople, they devised what was forerunner to today’s photo ID. 

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Universal Usage

From that time on, the photo ID became popular around the world, embraced by the Japanese in the early 1900s, and then notoriously employed by Nazis to shepherd Jews into ghettos during the World War II. By the end of the last century, photo IDs were a virtual universal phenomenon in America and, with advanced technology, caught on in many realms of society, most notably for driver’s licenses. 

Today, whether or not a U.S. citizen has a driver’s license, everyone can easily and affordably obtain a government-issued ID. State motor vehicle departments will issue a non-driver’s ID to individuals who demonstrate their citizenship. And that comes in handy: Here is a partial list of items and activities, in no particular order, for which you either must offer a photo ID, or for which you might be requested to offer one: 

Bogus Claims of Discrimination    

Despite all of the above, the Left insists that requiring ID for voting is somehow discriminatory against certain groups of people! Since most people are wise on the issue of voter ID, please carefully explain how requiring a photo ID suppresses the vote, as many people don't understand how anyone without a state-issued photo ID can function at all in society.