Politics are supposed to be about working together. About compromise. You and I can work this out together right now.

I’ll concede your constitutional point that the 2nd Amendment prohibits us (as legislators which we both are in this scenario) from making law that infringes on the right of “the people” to keep and bear arms. I’ll even, for the purpose of this important compromise, not give you a bunch of hell about the meaning of the militia clause.

Now you will concede that it is equally constitutionally clear in the 24th Amendment that no government fee can impede a citizen’s right to vote.

See? I’m hearing your constitutional argument and agreeing, you are hearing mine and agreeing that the 24th Amendment does indeed say you can’t keep people from voting based on something that has a government fee involved. (Yes, this is the problem liberals have with voter IDs, not race. It’s a constitutional problem. I know you don’t hear that enough on Fox News. They keep telling you it’s all about identity politics… sorry, it’s not. It’s about the Constitution, which conservatives claim to be all about preserving.)

Now. We, you and I, submit a great piece of joint legislation.

We agree to define background checks clearly enough that they do not infringe on the normal right of everyday Americans to keep and bear arms, but are strong enough to keep firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill, terrorists, convicted criminals, and we can negotiate on the rest.

We jointly agree that in order to protect elections Voter ID is important, but since the 24th Amendment is as enshrined as the 2nd we agree that this picture ID should be freely and without problem or cost issued to every citizen who registers to vote, and that that ID is accepted without question at all polling places. All cost of maintaining any database needed to confirm identification will be covered by the federal government.

See? You not only get protection of the 2nd Amendment from overly aggressive background checks, but you also get the Voter IDs you so desperately want in the same agreement… in a way no Democrat will have a problem with!

Wait. Why is the right saying this sucks? Why don’t they like voter ID that doesn’t violate the 24th? Is it because Voter ID laws aren’t really about election security?

Yeah. It’s totally because Voter ID laws aren’t really about election security.

Don’t agree? Prove it. Advocate for Voter ID laws like this one.

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