In Illinois, at least, you can get a photo ID at one of the places that you can go to register to vote -- your driver's license facility. You can get a photo ID even if you don't drive. If the states have to give out the photo IDs for free in order to reduce fraud, that would be cheap.

(Mind you, I have trouble understanding how anyone can operate in this country without photo ID unless they're completely on the cash economy. But that's a different discussion.)

The poll watcher comment comes from a report I've seen within the last few years about "being unable to find enough" Republican poll watchers in Chicago, so a Democrat is recruited for the post instead. I suspect that the Republicans have returned the favor in DuPage County from time to time...