You Show ID to Board a Plane — Why Not to Choose a President...
When everyday security requires proof, why does voting run on the honor system?
The Only Citizens Should Vote Act
You show ID to board a plane.
You show ID to rent a car.
You show ID to enter federal buildings.
No one calls that oppression.
But suggest proving citizenship before voting in a federal election?
Now it’s a crisis.
The House passed a bill requiring two things:
• Proof of U.S. citizenship to register
• Photo ID to vote
That’s the entire proposal.
And the reaction was immediate:
“Racist.”
“Suppression.”
“Jim Crow 2.0.”
Let’s slow down.
If This Is Racist — Explain Why
The central claim is that requiring ID harms minorities.
Think carefully about what that implies.
That millions of capable, working, successful adults —
who drive, serve in the military, travel internationally, run businesses —
are somehow unable to obtain identification.
Is that really the argument?
Because if it is, it deserves to be stated plainly.
Either minority citizens are fully capable adults —
or they are uniquely incapable of meeting a documentation standard required everywhere else in modern life.
It cannot be both.
The Standard Question
We require identity verification to:
• Open a bank account
• Buy certain medications
• Enter secure buildings
• Board commercial flights
Why would the standard be lower for federal elections?
If anything, shouldn’t it be higher?
This is not a trick question.
It’s a consistency question.
The “Jim Crow” Line
Words matter.
Jim Crow laws were designed to prevent lawful citizens from voting.
Requiring proof of citizenship is designed to ensure only lawful citizens vote.
Those are not the same thing.
Disagree with the policy if you want.
But collapsing those two concepts into one is not serious analysis.
It’s rhetorical escalation.
The Real Divide
Strip away the outrage.
Here’s what this debate actually comes down to:
Do you believe citizenship should be verified before someone votes in a federal election?
That’s it.
Not vibes.
Not party loyalty.
Not cable news outrage.
Just that question.
And here’s where it gets uncomfortable:
Large majorities of Americans — across parties — consistently support voter ID requirements.
So are they all extremists?
Or is Washington out of step with the public?
That’s not a rhetorical flourish.
That’s the fracture line.
The Question No One Wants to Answer
If showing ID to board a plane is normal…
If showing ID to enter Congress is normal…
If showing ID to buy certain medications is normal…
Why is showing ID to vote treated like an assault on democracy?
If the answer is “because voting is different,” then explain how.
Specifically.
Not emotionally.
Specifically.
Because trust without verification is not a system.
It’s a gamble.
Now Here’s Your Test…
Only citizens vote.
If that principle makes you uncomfortable, tell me why.
Not why it sounds bad.
Not why it polls badly.
Why it’s wrong.
I’m listening.