Should Photo ID be Required to Vote in WI?

Wisconsin's new state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald has announced that next year, after the Republicans elected Nov. 2 take control, the first order of business will be requiring photo id at the polling place.

Remember how this issue connects to ideology - Democrats tend to favor less restrictions in voting on the grounds that it reduces democracy and Republicans tend to favor more restriction on grounds of reducing fraud.  You be the judge.

To better understand how this issue connects voting and ideology, you can listen to a radio debate on the topic on WPR's Joy Cardin show.

Do your research: this blog post discusses the viewpoints of Barrett (D) and Walker (Governor-elect - R) on photo IDs at the polls.   This editorial explains the proponent argument and this blog post and this blog post take the opposing viewpoint.

Would this really disenfranchise voters?  Who would be most affected?  Do you think fraud is an issue in Wisconsin?  Is this a solution without a problem or a needed change?  How does this issue reflect the larger ideological battles regarding voting in America?

Political Participation and Technology

First, listen to the predictions of Matt Bai, a New York Times journalist on how technology will impact voting and political participation.



Do you agree with him? What predictions would you add?  Bai mentions voting online, but what other forms of political participation will technology influence or completely change?  How will communication between citizens and leaders change?  How do you think social networking plays a role in political participation?