On election day 2000, voters showed up in very Democratic St. Louis, Mo. to vote. Some showed up a little late, and thanks to a judge, they were given more time to vote. In violation of state law, a judge ordered the polls to stay open until 10 p.m., three hours after state law allows.

In Florida, butterfly ballots and hanging chads caused an uproar, lawsuits and finally led a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court that reigned in a rampaging Florida Supreme Court and gave George W. Bush what he had rightfully earned -- the state's 25 electoral votes.

All of this led to vows from high and low to reform outdated voting systems and to educate first-time voters on how to use it.

But Thursday, Democrats backed out of what had been a bipartisan plan to reform the voting system.

A sudden partisan firefight over a proposal to require proof of identification from first-time voters threatened Wednesday to torpedo a Senate bill to upgrade voting systems across the country.

Democrats, opposing the proposal, say it could depress turnout in areas with large populations of minority or elderly voters, who often do not have identification handy when they go to the polls.

Republicans, decrying lax regulations in some states that allow the names of dogs and dead people onto voter rolls, say a requirement of a photo ID, such as a driver's license, or some other verification of identity and residence, is essential to deter fraud.

The motor-voter law, which allows people to register to vote when they get a drivers license, has been used to perpetuate fraud across the nation. People have registered their dogs, cats and imaginary friends.

Requiring some proof of residence and identity the first time a person votes is perfectly reasonable. It's a simple check against voter fraud. Accepted forms of ID would be a picture ID or a utility bill of some sort. Just about anyone can provide that (except for former Grossmont Union High School District trustee Nadia Davies).

Roll Call's Mort Kondracke said on Fox News' "Special Report with Brit Hume" on Thursday that "the Democrats are almost confessing that they are in favor of vote fraud by this."

The way the system is now it is very easy to vote multiple times and the odds of being caught practically nil if you have half a brain. The voting system needs to be improved, but a bill without this simple, sensible anti-fraud provision is unacceptable.