Outrageous! Woman who had voted for 72 years denied a vote because she lacked a photo ID.

[theHandpuppet]

What a SHAM.

The Roanoke Times
Casey: Photo ID law is 'voter fraud at its worst'
Virginia Whittaker, 93, has been voting in Virginia elections for 72 years. But Tuesday, she couldn't because she lacked a valid photo ID.
Posted: Monday, November 10, 2014
By Dan Casey

(excerpt)

...She’s a 1943 graduate of Madison College (now James Madison University) who taught English, science and civics in Eggleston for 36 years. At times she doubled as a librarian and guidance counselor. She lives in a white, two-story farmhouse her grandfather built from a four-room log cabin after the Civil War...

...For six or seven years after her retirement, she worked the polls down at Masonic Lodge No. 309 in Eggleston on Election Day. So you can imagine her chagrin on Tuesday, when Estep drove Whittaker to the polling place. There, Whittaker learned from election judge Dawn Norris that she was ineligible to vote.

It was the first time in 72 years Whittaker couldn’t vote. Why?

“The head honcho at the voting precinct wouldn’t accept my identification,” Whittaker told me....

MORE at http://www.roanoke.com/news/columns_and_blogs/columns/dan_casey/casey-photo-id-law-is-voter-fraud-at-its-worst/article_5241989e-864e-5ee2-9749-9d887ca9acb6.html

[shenmue]

1. Sue the hell out of them

[MoonRiver]

4. That was my thought. Bastards!

[CurtEastPoint]

2. I just seethe when I read comments after these stories.

God Damn the GOP and conservatives. They are just plain nasty and hateful. And stupid, to boot.

[theHandpuppet]

3. I've gotten to the point I can't even read the comments

I don't need another ulcer.

If the comments are nasty, I hope that Mrs. Whittaker, who has given so much to her community all her life, never sees them.

[JohnnyRingo]

5. Although it's frustrating...

...it's now the law. There was a war over voter suppression, and the other side won in many states. Get a photo ID and help us elect those who will effect change, Virginia. I'm guessing the local party would gladly help get one if she can't afford it.

I work the polls here in Ohio, and if someone came in expecting to vote with nothing more than an excuse and a smile, I'd have to send them away, and I'm working there as a democrat. It's only happened once in five years. Fortunately, we allow other forms like a utility bill in their name, but I guess I'd look like the people portrayed as the bad guys in this article as well.

I've never met people as dedicated to help people cast votes until I began working the polls. With an equal number of Ds and Rs at each precinct, we respectfully work together for an accurate and inclusive count. Perhaps it's because it involves a 14 hour day at less than minimum wage.

[SoCalDem]

6. Shame on her local democratic party operatives

WE HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THESE DRACONIAN LAW CHANGES FROM THE SECOND REPUBLICANS ENACTED THEM..

It SUCKS majorly to have to dance to their wicked little tune, but until WE gain control, we would be wise to spend what it takes (time, effort,money) to see to it that EVERYONE in our party HAS whatever documentation is required.

We need to call their bluff.. unless we are satisfied to kvetch & gripe, and waste money suing them in court, and in the end our voters get turned away..

The only way to correct these injustices is to have LAWS on the books that automatically verify anyone who HAS voted at a specific date/election, and then from that point on, they could mandate "new ID" restrictions..

If they can routinely disqualify people on their own whims , we will always be behind the curve..

If an old person needs $50 to get paperwork that allows them to get a new ID that costs $50, the democratic party needs to see to it that they get that money, and the rides necessary.. All these costs (along with verification) should then be reimbursed by the state that changed the rules.


and... for family members who buy Granny & Grandpa sweaters, ties, nightgowns, books, perfumes, electronic gadgets, etc.. Save your money and get them an acceptable ID..

Got a graduate? Get them a PASSPORT..

[theHandpuppet]

12. I understand that in at least one case even a passport was rejected as a photo ID

Yep, believe it or not.

There is no reason for this B.S. other than voter suppression and they make it as difficult as possible for those who have enough hurdles in life already.

[SoCalDem]

13. THAT is outrageous..

All you should need is a passport that identifies you as a citizen, and then perhaps a utility bill that proves your address..

[Bandit]

16. Are homeless people not allowed to vote?

I doubt they have a utility bill to show proof of address..

[SoCalDem]

17. That might depend on their locality

a passport would have an address, but since people do move you could not be expected to get a new one every time you moved.


We need ballots that would not require proof of where you lay your head at night.. If you have no proof of that, you should still be able to vote for governor, senator & president..

[Art_from_Ark]

24. US passports don't officially list addresses

There is space in a US passport to write in emergency contact information, but the passport itself does not list the bearer's address.

[Ms. Toad]

33. Passports do not include an address.

And virtually all places which require voter ID, also require that ID to have your current address.

Even Ohio, where a utility bill serves as ID, require ID to have your current address. (So no, passports do not work in Ohio as an ID.)

[treestar]

42. That was wrong

A passport is a better ID than a DL.

[theHandpuppet]

7. I'm sorry but I think photo ID requirements are bullshit

They are intended specifically to suppress the votes of the disabled, the elderly and the poor. Apparently it works.

[JohnnyRingo]

21. You're right, it is bullshit.

But as long as it's the law we can't expect poll officials to make allowances based on their personal convictions. Would anyone like it if a precinct captain decided that open carry is welcome at this precinct, or that campaign buttons can be worn by certain workers? Of course not.

What's more, this is in Virginia where I'm sure the ID cards have been required for several election cycles. I know the odds that a woman that age would feel well enough to go vote in any particular election are 50/50 at best, but she or her family should have known and made preparations for her to cast a legal vote. I hope they get her an ID right now. It's not impossible.

[theHandpuppet]

36. You're wrong. Did you even read the article?

You wrote:
"What's more, this is in Virginia where I'm sure the ID cards have been required for several election cycles."

From the article:

Whittaker produced a Voter Registration Card. In 2012, the State Board of Elections mailed a card to every voter in Virginia, as a result of a law passed by the Virginia General Assembly that year. That cost taxpayers nearly $1.4 million.

But that card was not good enough, Norris explained to Whittaker. After the 2012 election, the General Assembly changed the law again — in 2013 — to require a photo ID. That law went into effect this past July 1, at an additional estimated cost to taxpayers of $854,000.

[JustAnotherGen]

47. See - this pisses me off

NJ also issues a voter ID Card - It lists -

My name, address - has my sig.

I have my Registration number on it.
Registration Date.
No birth date - that box is empty for some reason
Municipality
WD
District

If you've already proven your 'identity' and have your voter's reg card - you should not need anything else to vote.

I.E. if I went to a different district and voted with this - well I couldn't.

One - they wouldn't have my registration on file - so I couldn't sign the book (this basic in NJ) to match my signature.

Two - Since I'm not in their book and my card has my voting location on it - they could reasonably and legally send me away.

Voter's reg cards are the way to go - and you don't need picture ID.

[Lars39]

8. She already went thru all the hoops she needed to when she produced paperwork

to receive her Voter Registration Card. She produced that Voter Registration Card at the the poll. That should have been sufficient.

[JohnnyRingo]

22. Is that the law in Virginia?

I'm not from there, but I understood that she needed a photo ID to vote. If you say the law only demands a voter registration card, then you know more than me and she may have a case for lawsuit.

That doesn't sound like something a state with a republican governor would do though. Even here in Ohio we need a valid photo or a current utility bill in our name with an address.

[Lars39]

40. Probably was until the repubs decided to cheat.

Here in TN my Voter Registration Card was all I needed until the Republicans passed laws to rob people of their right to vote.

[csziggy]

14. It's a new way to charge a poll tax

In order to get my driver's license renewed (or if I no longer drive, to get a photo ID) I have to get a certified copy of my birth certificate - $10. If I had changed my name when I got married, I'd also have to get a certified copy of my marriage certificate - $10. Then I also have to pay the state of Florida $25 for the ID and for every time I have to renew it. Add postage costs to the fees to order the certified documents, and the total cost is at least $50.

In addition, there are ignorant people at the locations where you have to get the photo IDs. Last time I renewed my driver's license was the first after the "Real ID" law was passed so I have to provide a birth certificate, Social Security card, and two proofs of residence. The clerk refused to accept my Social Security card because it was different from any she had ever seen. It's the original one my parents applied for when I was 2 years old. The only other SS card I've ever had is the other copy still attached to the original card sent to my parents back in the late 1950s.

I was lucky - there was an older clerk who recognized my old SS card as legitimate, but if she had been at lunch I would have been refused my driver's license even though I had all the correct identifications and documents. Apparently my SS card is so old it does not appear on their card of legitimate SS cards!

If I have to replace my SS card to meet the needs of the ignorant clerks at DMV I have to provide MORE certified copies of my birth certificate and (marriage certificate if I had changed my name) at an additional cost of $10 each + postage - or I could give them a copy of my unexpired driver's license or other ID. Fortunately SS cards are free - but it would still cost for the documents and for the time involved.

For the woman in the OP linked article, there was no question who she was and that she was qualified to vote. Why should she have to spend time and money to get a card that was otherwise unneeded just to exercise her RIGHT to vote?

[JohnnyRingo]

23. I'll answer your last sentence...

Because people vote for republicans in Virginia and they passed voter suppression laws. Once it's in the books the law has to be followed by the election workers.

I'm sure some yahoo precinct captain thinks voters should be allowed to open carry at the polls, but he too cannot waive the law for his own convictions. When individual precincts write their own rules for an election, the integrity is threatened.

Remember, I'm on your side that these restrictive laws are written to bar people likely to vote democrat, but until it's changed the onus is on the voter to be prepared. Even this poor elderly woman. I'm sure she'll have one next time, regardless of who pays for it. I just hope she hangs in there long enough.

Since Virginia has had this law in effect for several election cycles, I wonder why it hasn't been an issue before. Maybe this is her first attempt since enactment.

[csziggy]

26. This could be the first time she's voted since her license expired

According to the story linked in the OP - "Whittaker gave up driving six or seven years ago. Her mind and hearing are still sharp. But as she ages, it’s harder and harder for her to move around. Many of the folks she still sees come to visit her."

I know my 93 year old mother's driver's license does not expire until 2016 or maybe even 2018 even though we finally took her keys away about 18 months ago, so the issue of getting her a photo ID has not come up. Perhaps Virginia Whittaker's license has expired since the last time she voted.

But I would love for the ACLU to use this lady as a test case. Apparently she never received adequate notification that the voter ID card issued by the elections office in her county was not sufficient for her to vote. No matter how much coverage the issue might have gotten in the media, she never heard about the requirement for a photo ID until she was refused her right to vote.

When Florida passed their voter ID law back in 2004, our Supervisor of Elections sent out notices along with our voter cards. The notice made it clear that the voter cards were now for information only and not enough to get to vote.

The onus should be on the election officials to make sure that citizens' rights to vote are not abridged. There is more voter fraud in denying the vote than in any effort in history by individuals attempting to fraudulently vote.

[JohnnyRingo]

35. You make a good point.

This woman may be the collateral damage from voter suppression and bad timing.

I'll give Ohio some credit. If she were trying to vote in our precinct she'd have been given a write-in provisional ballot as a last resort. If- and only if- the election is close enough that those votes could swing the outcome, the election board would do their best to confirm her eligibility and count her vote.

It's sad that Virginia apparently doesn't make such provisions. I don't see a legitimate reason why not.

[csziggy]

39. In 2004 as a protest I refused to provide photo ID

I was allowed to sign an affidavit swearing I was who I said I was and was allowed to vote. I later got a call from the elections office and was told my signature had been verified and I did not need to bring in a photo ID. These days it would be harder to verify my signature - after surgeries and with added age, my handwriting has deteriorated seriously.

I am always amazed that the same political party that will fight for the right to carry guns in unnecessary circumstances will actively work to disenfranchise so many voters. Voting is a much more important right than gun ownership.

[theHandpuppet]

37. Why do you keep saying this?

"Since Virginia has had this law in effect for several election cycles..."

The photo ID law only went into effect in July. She already had the state-issued voter registration card she received in 2012.

[JohnnyRingo]

58. I assumed such a red state as Virginia...

...would have had such a law before Ohio, and we've been required to have a photo ID for years. I was wrong, perhaps on both counts.

[treestar]

43. there definitely should be fee waivers for people who are poor

In courts you can proceed "in forma pauperis" and not have to pay filing fees. When it comes to certified copies, especially if you need them for other government requirements, there ought to be a similar provision.

[LanternWaste]

15. "Suck-it-up" merely enables the disenfranchisement to continue.

You talk of band-aides rather than solutions. "Suck-it-up" merely enables the disenfranchisement to continue.

[JohnnyRingo]

25. Solution is to change the law.

I thought I mentioned that, but until it is, sucking it up is our only choice. When enough people in Virginia get fed up with it, they'll elect a better government.

What would you suggest, a hostage situation until they accept a disenfranchised vote? If you were working a precinct in Virginia, would you ignore the law? Would you allow open carry and campaign signs in the building, or would you follow the election laws as best you can?

Having worked the polls for years, I already know what I'd do. At least here in Ohio a voter without an ID can cast a provisional ballot. If the election is so close that those provisional votes can make a difference, they'll do their best to confirm the vote and count it.

[Omaha Steve]

9. See animation

[Sunlei]

10. photo ID can't be expired "dirty trick"Nowpeople have to pay to update state ID for life or no vote.

as if our Gov. Local, State and Federal doesn't know exactly who every taxpayer is and where they live.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

11. So her right to vote was taken away from her to resolve the injustice of less than one vote of

"voter fraud".

Welcome to Idiot America.

[GarColga]

18. Here in the Red State of Idaho,

some kind of Government issued picture ID is required to vote. Driver's license, Tribal ID, passport, whatever. However if you don't have any of these, or if you just don't want to show one, you can sign an affidavit swearing that you are who you say you are.

[appalachiablue]

19. Outrageous. I hope the obstruction of her right to vote for the first time in 72 years is made known

to every justice on SCOTUS, the VA Dem. Party, the VA GOP, the DNC, the RNC, the Gov. of VA and President Obama.
This injustice is beyond belief. How was she supposed to be aware of these new rushed voter suppression 'rules' and tactics? And why should she have to comply is the main question. For shame.
I really wonder now if we are living in 2015 or 1885. Regression, backwards.

[ollie4]

20. Follow Dan Casey

I live in Roanoke. Dan Casey is great. It would be worthwhile to follow his columns at the Roanoke Times. Just sayin'

A lot of what he talks about is local in nature, but he has a sharp wit and a marvelous ability to write perceptive columns.

[simak]

27. I would ask for a provisional ballot.

Sounds like she had the option to fill out a provisional.
And yes, she might have to provide some supporting documentation. Voting is that important.

[theHandpuppet]

38. Does anyone even read the articles anymore?

From the article:

If Whittaker had voted provisionally, she would have had to take some extra steps to ensure her ballot counted. To do that, she would have to prove her identity.

That can be done by submitting a copy of a voter’s identification either by fax, email, regular mail or in person, but it has to be done by noon on Friday following the election.

But Whittaker doesn’t own a fax machine. She doesn’t even own a TV. The most advanced communications technology in her home is a radio. And anyway, the ID she possessed had already been ruled invalid.

So Whittaker did not cast a vote in the 2014 general election, because of that 2013 voter-photo ID law....

[simak]

67. Of course I read it.

The voter was given a post-election-day opportunity to come into compliance with requirements she was technically supposed to meet before the election. Seems generous enough.

And we're all supposed to think she was disenfranchised when it's apparent that the sacred act of voting wasn't really worth going to all that trouble for.

[Faryn Balyncd]

28. Since the GOP knows they can NEVER receive the votes of the majority of Americans they will let...

...nothing stop them from using every scheme possible to suppress voter registration, to suppress voting by registered voters, and to maximize the representation of Republican voters by means of gerrymandering, and to expand gerrymandering to the Senate and presidential electoral college by means of their active plans to repeal the 17th Amendment which provides for direct election of Senators (Republicans plan to have Senators appointed by gerrymandered state legislators), and by active Republican plans to have presidential electors selected by gerrymandered Congressional districts.

They plan on establishing oligarchy with elitist rules that will be increasingly difficult to reverse.

[Jenoch]

29. I do not understand why an expired drivers license

is not still valid as a photo ID, unless the address is not up to date, maybe.

However, when my mother was no longer able to drive (actually at least five years after she stopped driving) we got he a stTe issued ID that did nkt include driving privileges. Whomever was taking care of this fine lady failed her miserably.

[lbrtbell]

30. WHY would someone not have photo ID?

It's required for opening a bank account, which you need if you're on Social Security--especially when SS started talking about not issuing checks anymore, and exclusively using direct deposit instead. You need photo ID if you're a poor person applying for benefits. Even if you go to the doctor, you must provide a photo ID for the office to photocopy. (I've had to do that a lot lately, thanks to a virulent case of strep throat that ultimately ended in a trip to ER and a visit to an ENT specialist.)

Last month, my 80-year-old mother let her driver's license expire because she is no longer capable of driving. But she had me take her to the DMV and we immediately got her a state photo ID to replace it, because she knows you simply can't get along in society without valid photo ID.

The GOP does a lot of sleazy, reprehensible things to stop people from voting, but I'm tired of hearing about people pretending to be surprised when someone wants to see a photo ID at the voting place. It's been all over the news for years! It's not like the law was changed mere hours before these people show up to the polls.

Heck, when I lived in Arizona, I had to show my photo ID when I voted for Michael Dukakis for president!

And I'm tired of people claiming it's some sort of poll tax, because even if you never vote in your life, you need a photo ID. This has been true of our society since the 1980's.

Case in point? 8 hours ago, I just had to show a photo ID to use my debit card to pay for a $12 purchase at our local Goodwill! And I wish more merchants would do the same, to help protect people who have had their wallets/purses stolen.

It's the 21st century. You need valid photo ID, period.

[WhiteAndNerdy]

32. When I first started hearing about these voter ID laws, I felt the same way. BUT

But then I heard a recording of some Republican official in Pennsylvania (sorry, I can't remember his name) saying that their new voter ID law would benefit Republicans, and then I realized that these laws are not about protecting the integrity of the vote at all. They are deliberately targeting reliable Democratic voting blocs -- blacks, students, the poor, women (women who have changed their names due to marriage or divorce are being turned away as well). Far from protecting the integrity of the vote, it's an active attempt to undermine democracy. It's Republicans admitting that they can't win in fair elections that actually represent the will of the people.

[Ms. Toad]

34. There are lots of people who survive without a photo ID,

Just because YOU cannot imagine how you could survive without one does not mean that people who are unable to get one for a variety of reasons (disproportionately elderly, minority, and female) aren't surviving without one. And they should be able to vote.

As to your specific examples:

Our family has far more involvement with the medical system than most and I have NEVER had to show a photo ID.

You do not need a photo ID to apply for benefits:

The SNAP/Food Stamp caseworker is required to verify your identity. 7 CFR 273.2(f). There are many ways, however, that you may verify your identity. A photo ID is only one way. You should not be denied SNAP/Food Stamps simply because you do not have a photo ID. To prove who you are, you can use such things as a work or school ID, an ID for health benefits, an ID from another social services program such as TANF, wage stubs, a birth certificate, or a voter registration card. The SNAP/Food Stamp caseworker can also verify your identity by calling a “collateral contact” who can confirm you who are. Shelter workers and employers are examples of possible collateral contacts. If you have no paper documentation of who you are, you should ask the SNAP/Food Stamp caseworker to call a collateral contact. 7 CFR 273.2(f)(1)(C)(vii).

http://frac.org/federal-foodnutrition-programs/snapfood-stamps/homeless-persons-rights-under-the-snapsnapfood-stamp-program/

Many people don't have bank accounts - that is how check cashing outfits charging exhorbitant rates thrive - by extorting money from those who have no other options.

The survey further estimated that nearly 9 million households (approximately 7.7 percent of the population) are unbanked. The unbanked population includes about 17 million adults, with 21.7 percent blacks, 19.3 percent Hispanics and 15.5 percent Native Americans.

https://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/cb/articles/?id=2039

If you have a debit card - again - you have a bank account. Many don't.

[treestar]

44. Right now I'm trying to help out a guy who

managed to survive without photo ID for his entire working life - he's over 70 now and Social security/Medicare won't give him his benefits because he can't prove his age! He let his Driver's license expire years ago and now has no ID whatsoever.

[Ms. Toad]

48. Social Security workers

Are the main folks I point the non-believers to when they insist that (1) everyone has a photo ID or (2) can get one. They spend a lot of time working with the undocumented to establish both age & marriage (for widows/widowers benefits).

So I always find it more than a bit ironic when a Voter ID advocate insists that applying for benefits is one of those places where you have to have an ID.

[Ms. Toad]

61. I notice that you have NOT highlighted the many forms of ID

That are not acceptable under voter ID laws requiring the equivalent of a state ID:

Employee identification cards, school identification cards, health insurance cards (or whatever other "such as" documents) - all acceptable ways of establishing identity to the Social Security office - none of which are acceptable under voter laws which require a state ID because they do not require:

1) certified proof of birth
2) certified proof of current name (if different from your birth name) - including as many documents as are needed to go from birth to current name.

Many elderly individuals were born at home, under the care of a midwife. Many of those births were formally registered - but many were not. Disproportionately, those births not registered are poor, rural, southern, and black. In many instances, even when the midwife attempted to do her job, she was turned away and not permitted to register the birth because the child was born to a black family.

You can obtain a delayed registration of birth, but establishing a birth that was never registered requires documentation that many - now 55-100+ do not have: someone of the age of competency, present at or near the birth, to testify to the birth (or other acceptable documentation, like a family bible, baptismal records, etc.). Not to mention that this process of creating a delayed registration costs time and money - $2000 - $10,000 is a reasonable estimate for a case in which documents are not readily available.

These individuals were not required to have a birth certificate to obtain a social security card or employment, and many got through their entire driving career before strict documentation was required to get a driver's license. Once it lapses - when they stopped driving - obtaining a new one requires documentation they never had in the first place.

That's process is just to prove birth.

For women (primarily), the next step is providing a trail from the birth name to the current name. Again - at a minimum, that costs money to obtain the certified records of every name change. Assuming the records were not destroyed (as, unfortunately, many court records have been over the years).

Our focus also needs to include GOTV, but we should not be supporting disenfranchisement of voters (primarily female, elderly, and African American) who are unable to obtain an ID that requires with the strict voter ID laws recently being implemeted.

Do yourself a favor - find someone who actually works in a social security office, and talk with them about how many people don't have "proper' identification - and the lengths to which they go to help them establish identity and age - and how many ever get to the point where they establish it sufficiently to get a state ID.

[WhiteAndNerdy]

31. So wrong. :( nt

[B Calm]

41. You are right, it's all a sham created by no good republicans!

Here in Indiana when they first came out with the photo ID to be able to vote, 4 Catholic Nuns were denied the right to vote.

[sendero]

45. This is why Republicans win and Democrats lose..

... (not what you think).

GO GET THE FUCKING ID. We LOST THE BATTLE to prevent these laws (because our party is WEAK) so now the only option is to BEAT THEM AT THEIR OWN GAME BY GETTING THE FUCKING ID.

Republicans WANT it, and that's why they GET it. Democrats whine the laws are unfair. OF COURSE THEY ARE. AND THEY ARE GOING TO GET A LOT MORE UNFAIR IF PEOPLE DON'T START WANTING IT LIKE REPUBLICANS DO.

Live in a state with voter ID laws? GET THE FUCKING ID and VOTE.

[B Calm]

49. Some voters can't get an ID.

[theHandpuppet]

51. Well, never mind that

It's always easier for some to direct their political anger at those in society who are the most powerless.

[theHandpuppet]

50. Perhaps it's a lack of empathy that's contributing to our losses

Just get a photo ID, huh? Not so easy for the poor, the disabled, the homeless, the elderly. But I'm sure if they just ask really nicely they'll get one and if they don't, fuck them, huh?

[sendero]

52. Yeah.

..... sure. More excuses. That's the Democrats' main talent, excuses.

Hey I don't care either way any more, it is a war and if we lose we lose, and with attitudes like this we will continue to lose indefinitely.

I'm starting to believe that the reason Democrats can't win anything despite having policies that are at least marginally better than the Republicans is that people don't want to be associated with losers. Not a GOOD reason but human being are complicated.

And FINALLY, the Democratic party volunteer apparatus should provide services to help people who need help getting their IDs, DUH.

[B Calm]

53. A lot of these elderly voters who voted their entire life were not born in a hospital

and don't have a birth certificate. What is your solution?

[sendero]

54. The ACLU n/t

[UglyGreed]

46. It gets crazier and crazier every day. N/T

[think]

55. What kind of government actively works to deny their citizens the right to vote?

Rhetorical question....

[B Calm]

56. Conservatives know by surpressing the vote, their odds are better.

It is sickening. They get this unfare law passed by telling people illegals immigrants are voting. Total bullshit, because no illegal would dare go vote for fear of the government finding out his or hers illegal status!

[HockeyMom]

57. Photo ID for an Absentee Ballot????

How? I request them online and sent to my home, although you can just call up and request it. Mail it in. End of story. I have been voting for the past 3 years by mail. You have to sign the outside of the envelop. I suppose they use that as your ID, which has been done for the past 30 years at the polls. Comparing signatures.

[Tsiyu]

60. The state of Virginia really respects its elderly, eh?

Boy, Howdy. Just be a senior citizen in Virginia, and you lose your right to vote!

Isn't that awesome? Virginia may be great for lovers, but they sure do seem to hate their own elderly.

http://elections.virginia.gov/index.php/contact-us/

Telephone: [phone]
Toll Free: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Office Hours:
8:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Monday through Friday.


Give them a call and let them know how much you appreciate the way they treat their elders!

[Travelman]

62. Does everyone here realize that she very likely was voting R?

Giles County sits squarely in Virginia's Ninth Congressional District, which went almost 4-to-1 for H. Morgan Griffith, a Republican. Giles County itself went 60/40 for Gillespie and was actually slightly more tilted toward Griffith. In her precinct of Eggleston, Gillespie went 60/40 and it went 70/30 for Griffith. And just leaving all of that aside, this place is about as hardcore, deep-red conservative as you can find in the entire country.

If you are one who believes that voter ID suppresses votes, then the vote that got suppressed here was very likely one for Gillespie that may have been one of the (relatively) few that could have given the Repubs another seat in the Senate.



Lesson of the day: be careful what you ask for; you just might get it.

[Tsiyu]

63. We're Democrats

we don't believe in cheating to win.

If we have to gerrymander and deny people their right to vote in order to win, we LOSE.


The only way Republicans can win is by cheating. Are you suggesting we be more like them, and rejoice because someone was denied their right to vote?

Not me.

[Travelman]

65. No, I'm not.

That's what the last line is about:

Lesson of the day: be careful what you ask for; you just might get it.

If you suppress a vote, you might wind up suppressing the vote that you wanted.

[Tsiyu]

66. i see n/t

[theHandpuppet]

64. EVERYONE has a right to vote

Democrats and Republicans and everyone in between.