The debate over voter ID typically centers on the need to prove we are who we say we are when we vote, which is obviously very important. But voter ID can and should also be used to prove we live where we say we live.
This is critical because the ballots we receive when we vote are based on where we actually live — where our “habitation is fixed” as is the case in my home state of Georgia. That location determines our “jurisdiction,” which is our county and/or municipality. It also determines our voting precinct, our city and county election contests, and the school board, judicial, county commission, state House, state Senate, and congressional district races that appear on our ballots.
Unenforced Residency Laws
Georgia, like other states, has enacted residency laws to help ensure voters get the right ballot when they vote — and to ensure residents are registered where they live. However, we live in a highly mobile society, with tens of millions of people moving every year, and studies have shown that moving is one of the most stressful events that can occur in our lives. It ranks right up there with divorce, marriage, having kids, starting a new job, or having children.
While most people will almost instinctively file a change of address with the USPS when they move, many people don’t — and far fewer even think about updating their voter registration during such a life transition. We are also required by law
