For a number of reasons, I am opposed to LD 199, a bill that would require a photo ID for voting. Most logically, what about waiting in long lines only to find the ID is in the car or back home?

What about seniors who no longer have licenses, or a young person who has yet to obtain one?

College students who spend nine months of 12 in the state but have an ID from back home?

Those who don’t have a place to call home now don’t have a place in our democracy, either? You can’t write “my house was foreclosed” on the address line of a license application.

Or what about people who have recently moved and cannot get an up-to-date ID before the registration date is closed? Right now that date is Election Day with Maine’s popular same-day voter registration but, if LD 203 passes, that will change.

The amount of time it takes to get a new license with the correct address and get to town hall to register at that new address pretty much guarantees a person better plan a move a month before Election Day or forfeit the right to participate.

I understand that this is a politically motivated solution in search of a problem.

Why do Maine legislators want to keep more people from voting?

I hope legislators of all parties will reject this assault on Maine’s tradition of high numbers voting every election.

Philip Nelsen, Lewiston