You're implying that the US is sane. If we tried smart ID cards here, half the population would have a meltdown over the Mark of the Beast of 1984 or "papers, please" or something.
It wouldn't stop the issue of Republicans closing polling stations in minority communities, but it's a start.
Of course the democrats fall for the trap every time, because using security as an excuse for taking away rights is almost as good as using child porn as an excuse for censorship and monitoring. People go "oh yeah, that sounds reasonable"