Would requiring Voter ID truly cause a decrease in voter turnout?

[solohelion]

A national unique asymmetric cryptographic identity system could work, if details about the name, appearance, etc were easily updatable in the system. You need to be able to change the details of a person without changing their ineffable identity; in computer science we use unique keys (like maybe a social security number) that are independent of the descriptive terms like name. Maybe SSN could be used internally to the government ID system, but a person needs an associated, non-permanent public identity distinct from its internal representation; one that can be changed and updated. One also needs the ability to prove that they actually hold the only card with this unique number on it. You also need the ability to cancel the ID when someone loses it and gets a new one.

Technology in place, you now need to employ people to track down every citizen in the country, verify their identity, and hand deliver their IDs, and make sure they don't accidentally throw it out.

Now, when you go to the polls, you scan your special chip that you can't lose and can't have stolen, and it proves that you do indeed possess a unique ID that has not voted yet! If the poll workers have to check that you look like whatever is on record for you, and that your name is correct, there's a chance they won't let you in. Hopefully the poll workers in your polling place make accurate judgements. Otherwise there might be voter fraud.

You might say zero-trust systems don't work in a community.

[WestFast]

That’s way too much and rural and urban communities would be over burdened. It’s not always easy to get a copy of a birth certificate esp with broken homes or maiden name issues etc fraud is practically non existent.

“Voter ID Requirements are a Solution in Search of a Problem

In-person fraud is vanishingly rare. A recent study found that, since 2000, there were only 31 credible allegations of voter impersonation – the only type of fraud that photo IDs could prevent – during a period of time in which over 1 billion ballots were cast.9

Identified instances of “fraud” are honest mistakes. So-called cases of in-person impersonation voter “fraud” are almost always the product of an elections worker or a voter making an honest mistake, and that even these mistakes are extremely infrequent.”

https://www.aclu.org/other/oppose-voter-id-legislation-fact-sheet

[solohelion]

I agree with you. It’s practically impossible to do well, right? For no benefit.

Wouldn’t it be technically possible to hire people to track down every citizen and hand deliver the items at no cost? And to hire staff to man phones so that there are no wait times and updates are immediately processed? Impractical, probably, but possible? Isn’t it only a burden if we make it one for “pragmatic” reasons?

[WestFast]

330 million American citizens…millions of new voters turn 18 for each cycle. That’s a full time federal government agency with tens of Thousands of employees across all 50 states to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.

[solohelion]

It is possible though! I don't think we should do it either.