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Remember the adage 鈥渙ne person, one vote?鈥� In an increasing number of states, it鈥檚 more like:

1 person
+ 1 birth certificate
+ 1 marriage license
+ 1 utility bill
+ 1 trip to the DMV
= 1 vote

That鈥檚 because states around the country 鈥� from Kansas to Wisconsin to South Carolina 鈥� are approving voter identification laws, which would require voters to show a photo ID in order to cast a ballot.

Those of us who drive, have passports and are generally well-resourced may be surprised to learn that . In fact, research estimates that one in four African-Americans of voting age don鈥檛 have government-issued photo identification. Senior citizens and low-income folks also lack ID at disproportionate rates.

So say you live in Wisconsin and you want to vote, but you don鈥檛 have a valid driver鈥檚 license or state ID card. In order to get one, to prove your name and date of birth (your birth certificate will suffice, but only if it鈥檚 a certified copy 鈥� no hospital copies allowed), your identity (with something like a social security card or marriage license 鈥� original only) and your Wisconsin residency (a utility bill will work). You鈥檒l also need a ride to the nearest DMV, which, depending on where you live, between 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on the second Wednesday in January, March, May, July, September and November.

Why not make folks while we鈥檙e at it?

To add insult to injury, there鈥檚 no credible reason why photo ID at the polls is necessary. Proponents say that voter fraud is rampant, but it鈥檚 . In Kansas, a whopping seven cases of alleged voter fraud in five years, six of which were not even prosecuted. But that didn鈥檛 stop Gov. Sam Brownback from signing a voter ID bill into law back in April. And it didn鈥檛 stop the South Carolina, Texas, , Missouri and Minnesota legislatures from passing voter ID bills either. (Fortunately, someone appears to be minding the store in Minnesota 鈥� Gov. Mark Dayton is that state鈥檚 bill. And voters in Missouri would have to approve a constitutional amendment to make voter ID effective there.)

So congratulations to all those state legislators out there who are supporting voter ID 鈥� you鈥檙e doing a great job of solving a problem that doesn鈥檛 really exist, and suppressing the vote while you鈥檙e at it, just in time for a major election.

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