Bottles or Ballots? Connecticut requires IDs for Cans, But Not for Candidates
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The 10-Cent Loophole
Connecticut recently faced a unique border crisis: "bottle flipping." When CT raised its bottle deposit to 10 cents—double the 5-cent rate in New York and Massachusetts—out-of-state residents began crossing the border to cash in.
Facing a significant loss of revenue, the Democrat-controlled legislature in Hartford didn't just shrug it off. They moved to protect the system with emergency anti-fraud measures (like those found in SB 299) that empower centers to require a driver’s license or state ID to prove residency. Connecticut has decided that a 5-cent difference in a soda can is a high enough stake to warrant an ID check.
The Double Standard
The irony is hard to miss. While the state moves to secure the integrity of our recycling bins, you can vote in CT by simply signing an affidavit saying you are who you say you are—but don't try that with a bag of out-of-state water bottles. Meanwhile, our federal representatives are fighting to keep the ballot box wide open. This weekend, Connecticut's two Democrat Senators, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, have been vocal in their opposition to the SAVE Act—a federal bill that would require proof of citizenship (like a passport or birth certificate) to register for federal elections.
The "Significant Barrier"
Senator Blumenthal recently told the press that the SAVE Act is a "voter purge bill," claiming that 21 million Americans lack the necessary documentation to comply.
Let’s look at the math:
The Claim: Requiring a birth certificate or passport creates an "unnecessary burden" for millions of citizens, particularly minorities and married women.
The Reality: We require identification for everything from boarding a plane to picking up a prescription—and now, in Connecticut, for returning your ginger ale cans.
If the "burden" of showing an ID is small enough to protect the state’s recycling fund, why is it considered "voter suppression" when applied to the most sacred right in our democracy?
Between the Lines: When are we going to get serious? Connecticut has proven it knows how to implement ID requirements when the state's wallet is on the line. It’s time we applied that same "emergency anti-fraud" energy to our elections. If you need a license to recycle a bottle, you should certainly need one to choose the next President.