What is truly phobic is some Democrats' aversion to voter ID laws ["Voter ID law is phobic, unnecessary," June 3]. Surveys show that most eligible voters, not surprisingly, are in favor of such laws.

Letter-writer Michael Payne uses the extreme examples of providing passports or birth certificates to prove identity, whereas there are other forms of ID acceptable at polling places that are currently in the possession of the vast majority of potential voters.

How this issue relates to the Tea Party and Colonial tax policy is puzzling, but I suppose Mr. Payne was on a roll.

The statement that presenting valid ID "smacks of voter intimidation" is simply asinine. If a determined voter with valid ID can be deterred from voting or intimidated by the requirement to present ID, that person has some "issues" beyond the scope of any voter ID laws.

Regarding the small subset of "oppressed" individuals who do possess valid ID, I am willing to bet that if the commonwealth of Virginia, or the U.S. government, sent a letter to them stating there was a $500 government check waiting for them to pick up at a local office, and a valid ID was the only requirement to claim the money, those folks would move heaven and earth to get an ID ASAP.

Gary Long

Spotsylvania