One NC woman’s unforgivable quest for a photo ID

[G_j]

http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article23789956.html

A few days ago, I had a long conversation with Sally Robare of Shelby. It reminded me, potently, of two things: how much I abhor the moves by the governor and General Assembly to disenfranchise vulnerable North Carolinians and how inspiring an engaged, feisty, courageous and annoyed citizen can be.

Robare, 65, lives in the Lions Senior Village in Cleveland County. She moved there from New York four years ago. She registered to vote and easily cast her ballot in 2012. The folks at the polling station were extraordinarily nice, she says.

But then she read she would soon need a state photo ID to vote. She didn’t have a car, a North Carolina driver’s license or a passport. She hadn’t driven in years and had no need for such. So she decided to go to the Shelby DMV to get an ID.

The trip itself was a production. Sally had a heart attack a couple years ago and has had heart trouble since. Moving around isn’t easy. So getting across town and especially waiting in line at the DMV would be a challenge. The Lions Village has an elder van, but it’s available only for medical matters. A cab ride, she discovered, would cost $12 each way, which she couldn’t readily afford.


Still, she was patient and eventually found a friend who could give her a ride. She didn’t think getting an ID would be a problem. She had her New York driver’s license; her Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare cards; a utility bill with her present address; and a letter from her landlord. She became apprehensive, though, as she waited in line. The only person working in the office wore a uniform and looked like a police officer. He’d been rude to everyone in front of her.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article23789956.html#storylink=cpy

[Thinkingabout]

1. A lady in my senior group moved her mother from North Carolina to Texas a couple of years ago.

The daughter started trying to get her mother registered to vote, the first major obstacle was her mother had not been issued a birth certificate, something which was not unusual at the time her mother (97) was born. For a lady who has not always had the right to vote voting becomes very important to her and her daughter. With voter ID they are tying the hands of our older seniors because of other handicaps. All because of the GOP whining and crying voter fraud but the underlying issue was to stop as many poorer, older, non drivers usually in ethnic groups. Shameful.

[Gothmog]

2. The only purpose served by voter id laws is to steal the vote from poor people