After reading the article, “Can I See Some ID?”, I just wanted to sum up some of the details and arguments:

–          In Texas, a new voter ID law requires Texans to have a picture ID with them in order to vote.  The article said that this law would negatively impact college students b/c the address for the voter at the polling station and on the ID MUST be the same.  Texas is a massive state, one which could take a 12-14 hour drive to cross it (as does Michigan), and so if a student lives up in the panhandle put goes to college in Houston, that student would have a problem.  What is he/she to do?

–          A majority of these laws are being pushed by states that have Republican-led legislatures, and with the 2012 elections coming up, this could be seen as a partisan (political party) tactic to limit the number of eligible voters who could vote for the Democratic incumbent, Barack Obama.  Those being affected by this call for voter ID are the poor, the elderly, college students, and minorities (estimated 21 million, according to the article dated April 2, 2012).  Many of these groups voted for Obama in 2008, and voter ID opponents like Civil Rights pioneer and Congressman, John Lewis, called these laws “another form of a poll tax.”  Obviously, this could have a huge (read HUGE) impact on the election in November:

Twenty-four laws or executive orders restricting access to the ballot have passed in 17 states since the beginning of 2011 and 74 more such bills are pending. By November 2012, there will be at least 30 states that will require identification to be shown at the polls. This requirement will disenfranchise up to 11% of eligible voters in America, and will have an even larger impact on groups that have traditionally faced discrimination at the polls. 1

 – Republicans state that these laws are intended to reduce incidents of voter fraud.  Also, they argue that showing an ID like a driver’s license or passport at the airport is a normal procedure, so why couldn’t you be expected to confirm your identity at the polling place?  It is just common sense to carry a piece of ID with you in order to function in today’s society.  Isn’t our democracy worth safe guarding with a simple, free ID?  Opinion polls cited by Republicans also state that 75% of Americans “including majorities of Hispanics and African-Americans — routinely support such laws.” 2 

 The Supreme Court has also weighed in on the Constitutionality of Voter ID laws (like Indiana’s) and has said YES! in 2008. 

The South Carolina law mentioned in the Colbert video above in which Governor Nikki Haley promises to drive all of those who are inconvenienced by the law has been blocked by the Justice Department.  It says that the SC law would target eligible minority voters. 1   In March, the Justice Dept. also blocked the Texas voter ID law for the same reason.  Wisconsin’s voter ID law was also blocked by a federal judge in March 2012.  The judge in the Wisconsin case said this about his decision:

“Without question, where it exists, voter fraud corrupts elections and undermines our form of government,” wrote Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess in his decision. “The legislature and governor may certainly take aggressive action to prevent its occurrence. But voter fraud is no more poisonous to our democracy than voter suppression. Indeed, they are two heads on the monster.”

In fact, the group that is pushing for voter ID laws has stated that non-citizens with photo IDs have already registered to vote, though the number appears to be small (2,000 in Miami-Dade county of 250,000).  Sometimes, in Florida and other places with Latino populations, some U.S. citizens are asked to “document their status” as Americans so they can stay on the voter rolls.  Occasionally, these residents are flagged as ineligible voters – in effect, guilty until proven innocent.  3

In a typical, hidden-camera investigative report, PJ Media trickster James O’Keefe sent a film crew to pretend to be the Attorney General of the U.S. and vote in his place, or technically, to see how easy it would be to vote at his precinct posing as a gentlemen named Holder (the A.G. is named Eric Holder) without ID.  Obviously according the National Review article, the pollster is plainly clueless, unable to recognize the Attorney General of the U.S..2 

A super-lobby group called ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) has been cooperating with big businesses and legislatures around the country to write some of these voter ID bills.  Here’s a link to one of their co-written laws in Arkansas: http://alecexposed.org/w/images/d/d9/7G16-VOTER_ID_ACT_Exposed.pdf    As it says on the document, these voter ID laws aim at disenfranchising the poor, elderly, minorities, and college students because they move often or don’t have a driver’s license or have lost the required paperwork.   Sometimes, the states will provide free IDs but the offices aren’t close to the people or aren’t open at convenient hours. 

So, what’s the right answer?  Voter IDs or not?  Or is there another possibility?  Put it out there.  Discuss the issues in your answer. 

200 words.  Due Wednesday by 5/22. 

Sources:

1. “Voter ID Laws: Silencing the American People,” John Whitehead – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-w-whitehead/voter-id-laws_b_1514422.html

2. “Why We Need Voter ID Laws,” John Fund – http://www.nationalreview.com/blogs/print/295431 

 3. Fox Points to Voter ID Laws as Solution to Potential Non-Citizen Voters Who Already Have IDs, Emily Arrwood – http://mediamatters.org/blog/201205100024