Ever wonder why so many critics of voter ID adamantly oppose such a sensible idea? In some cases, one suspects an element of projection. Since the electoral “reforms” these critics support are designed to maximize advantages for Democrats, they seem to think voter ID is designed to maximize advantages for Republicans.
If you doubt that the standard prescriptions for electoral reforms have a partisan basis, please read Akhil Reed Amar’s recent Atlantic article about President Obama’s prospects for second-term success.
If he’s to beat the second-term curse, Obama will also need to go bold and big. Just as FDR’s New Deal programs and Reagan’s tax cuts won over whole generations of voters, Obama must find ways to entrench his own legacy—and in the process, his new base. Immigration reform, for example, could draw the kind of young, highly skilled workers who might be able to pay for Social Security benefits for retiring Baby Boomers. Election reform might restore the luster of American democracy—while making it easier for Democratic voters to cast ballots. [Emphasis added.]
