Connecticut Dems demand IDs to recycle cans but reject GOP efforts to verify citizenship at polls

Connecticut Democrats recently rushed through an emergency anti-fraud law requiring bottle redemption centers to collect a copy of a person’s driver’s license when they cash in more than 1,000 cans or bottles in a day — a document demand that Republicans say undercuts the party’s attacks on voter-ID rules.Earlier this month, an emergency certification bill, SB 299, was introduced by top Democratic leaders in the state’s legislature.It was later passed in both chambers in late February and was signed by Gov.

Ned Lamont, a Democrat, on March 3. It requires people wishing to recycle cans for money to present a copy of their driver’s license, put in place because the state has had issues with non-residents crossing their border to take advantage of it’s higher return rate of 10 cents a can instead of five cents.The issue was reportedly causing the state to lose significant revenue.Meanwhile, the state still does not require its residents to present a driver’s license, or some other form of formal identification.

Instead, residents wishing to vote simply have to attest, under penalty of the law, that they are a citizen of the United States. Additionally, both of Connecticut’s senators, Sens.Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., recently voted against advancing the SAVE Act earlier this week, which Republicans introduced to pass stricter photo-ID requirements for voting in federal elections, including a national proof-of-citizenship requirement for anyone wishing to register to vote.“In Connecticut, it seems that they are committed to securing recycling, but not to securing elections,” said Anna Pingel, America First Policy Institute’s Campaign Director for Secure Elections.

“Requiring photo ID to collect cash from recycling but opposing photo ID to cast a vote tells you everything you need to know about the hypocrisy of politicians fighting against commonsense legislation like the SAVE Act.What is more important to ...