We’re heading down the home stretch toward Election Day. A recent article in the Huntington Herald Dispatch announced that “West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant’s office is sending postcards to residents who may be eligible to vote but haven’t registered. The deadline to register to vote in the general election is [4:00 PM] Oct. 18.” In Jefferson County early voting begins October 26th.

This year West Virginia became the fifth state to authorize Automatic Voter Registration. According to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, “The West Virginia Legislature passed automatic voter registration legislation through a series of bipartisan votes [and] …will go into effect at West Virginia DMV offices in 2017.” Automatic registration means that anyone applying for a driver’s license at a local Department of Motor Vehicles will automatically be registered to vote unless they specifically opt out.

West Virginia already has online voter registration. According to Google, “You’ll need a West Virginia driver’s license or ID card number, and the last 4 digits of your Social Security number to register online.”

According to the Charleston Gazette Mail back in April, the 2013 law providing for online voter registration allows counties to opt out and two of West Virginia’s biggest counties, Kanawha and Cabell have done just that. “Kanawha County Clerk Vera McCormick [a Republican] and Cabell County Clerk Karen Cole [a Democrat] said they are uncomfortable with the security provisions in West Virginia’s 6-month-old online voter registration website and would not accept applications through the website until changes are made.”

The same concerns over security have prompted state legislatures across the nation to enact voter ID laws. According to Ballotpedia, as of August there were 31 states with some form of voter ID requirement in order to obtain a ballot. This year West Virginia joined their ranks, but our law doesn’t take effect until 2018. And it’s so watered down, it has very little meaning.

According to West Virginia Public Broadcasting, “The bill was the result of a conference committee on the final night of the session that negotiated an expanded list of the forms of identification.” They include: Any government issued ID or permit, with or without a photo, including a voter registration card, any college or high school issued ID, a health insurance card, a utility bill, a bank card or bank statement, or my favorite, verification of identification by another adult who has known the voter for at least 6 months, including a poll worker. In other words, its supporters ran out of time with regard to a veto override and had to accept any bill the governor would be willing to sign.

And yet, from the website of Think Progress comes this predictable headline, “Despite Cries Of Racism, West Virginia House Passes Voter ID Bill.” However, the left leaning Politifact evaluated the claim of journalist Jason Riley, an African American, regarding voter ID laws. Their “ruling” (as Politifact calls it): “Riley said ‘black voter turnout in 2012 exceeded the rate of white voter turnout, even in the states with the strictest voter ID laws,’ despite the Democrats claiming the voter ID laws suppress the black vote. While there is debate about the reasons why – and if the phenomenon will last – Riley’s statistic checks out. Census data shows that indeed, for the first time ever, black voter turnout was higher nationally than white voter turnout, and at least just as high in the states with strict voter ID laws. We rate this claim True.” Surprised? There have been additional studies that bear this out.

Then there’s the claim by opponents of voter ID laws that voter fraud doesn’t exist. That’s kind of like saying that racism doesn’t exist, so it’s a bit disingenuous to hear that kind of talk coming from supposedly intelligent people. Fraud exists in virtually every human endeavor. There is bank fraud, mail fraud, consumer fraud, and yes Virginia, there is voter fraud.

Speaking of Virginia, how about this headline from Zero Hedge earlier this month, “Meet The Young Virginia Democrat That Registered 19 Dead People To Vote In Virginia.” “Fact” checking website Snopes weighed in on the matter saying that there was no proof that that these dead people were going to vote for Hillary Clinton. You really can’t make this stuff up. In the meantime this headline from Townhall.com last week, “Massive Voter Fraud Sweep Under Way By Texas AG.” Stay tuned.

In August, a Gallup poll showed that 80 percent of Americans favor “requiring all voters to provide photo identification at their voting place in order to vote.” Even among Democrats it was 63 percent. Democracy is only as strong as the integrity of the voting process. West Virginia needs a voter ID law worthy of the name.