Virginia is now the 17th state to adopt a voter ID law, and will likely not be the last. By signing legislation Tuesday requiring voters to present a photo ID before casting a ballot, Gov. Bob McDonnell not only strengthened the integrity of the commonwealth’s electoral system, he did so with the broad support of a large majority of state residents.
A Quinnipiac poll taken on Feb. 21 found a whopping 75 percent of state residents in favor of photo ID, with majority support among all demographic groups by party, gender, age, race and income. This is as close as it comes to unanimity in the political sphere, so McDonnell’s signature cannot in any way be construed as a partisan effort to disenfranchise anybody. He was clearly following the wishes of his constituents.
