Democrat Shows His True Colors on Voter ID — It’s Ugly

Maine’s U.S. Senate debate on Tuesday put voter identification on the table in a lightning round, and the two candidates gave opposite answers.

Moderator Gregg Lagerquist asked Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson whether voters should be required to show identification at the polls. Jackson said no. “No, as a working logger, many times I went to the polls without my ID. No,” he said.

Collins took the other side. “Yes, only Americans should vote in American elections. I don’t think that’s too much to ask when you go to register to vote,” she said.

The exchange spread quickly on social media. Andrew Kolvet posted the clip with Jackson’s answer that voters should not have to show ID, including the line about going to the polls as a working logger without identification.

Collins has endorsed the Republican-backed SAVE America Act. She has said voters should show government-issued photo identification and provide documentary proof of citizenship once, at registration. She has compared that to showing identification to board a plane, buy alcohol, or check into a hotel, and has said a one-time proof-of-citizenship rule would not be burdensome.

The SAVE Act would change how people register and vote in federal elections. Under the bills, a driver’s license alone would generally not be enough to register, because most licenses do not show citizenship. Acceptable documents would include a U.S. passport, a REAL ID marked as indicating citizenship, or a government-issued photo ID presented with a record such as a birth certificate or naturalization papers. The SAVE America Act would also require photo identification to cast a ballot.

Maine’s Senate race is among the tightest in the country and could help decide control of the chamber. The RealClearPolitics average at the time of the debate had Collins ahead by 0.2 points. A Marist poll of registered voters released October 6 had Jackson at 51 percent and Collins at 47 percent.

Three more debates between the two candidates are planned before Election Day.