Story: Congress Considers Requiring Photo ID to Vote, 10/25/06
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec06/voterid_10-25.html

Reading Comprehension Questions:

1. On what election issue did the Supreme Court recently rule?

2. Why are some people critical of rules that require voters to show photo IDs?

3. Why do others think requiring photo IDs is necessary?

4. How did the Supreme Court respond to Arizona's law that requires voters show photo IDs?

5. Describe the variety of voting requirements in regards to identification among different states?

6. How much voting fraud is there according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission?

Discussion Activity (more research might be needed):

1. What do you think? Should you have to show a photo ID to vote? Why or why not? Explain your reasoning.

2. What kinds of photo IDs are out there? How and why do you get them? Why do you think certain groups of people are less likely to have photo IDs?

3. What are the rules for who can vote and who can't? Do you think these are fair? Why or why not?

4. Senator Hillary Clinton said the requirement to show an ID was equivalent to a "poll tax." What were poll taxes? How has voting in the United States changed over time?

Write a 300-500 word essay on either of these topics providing clear examples. Send your completed editorial to NewsHour Extra (extra@newshour.org). Exceptional essays might be published on our Web site.