Questions on Voter I.D.

[SoutherDem]

If it isn't to lower the Democratic out turn then why not do it the day after the last election giving people over a year to get the ID? Why wait to 4 months before the next election?

If it isn't to lower the Democratic out turn then why not offer an easier way to get the ID? Why not allow various ways to prove who you are, I mean just what does a birth certificate really say? Wouldn't credit cards, utility bills, company IDs, student IDs, and signed testaments from friends be the same? With technology as it is today why not go to local city halls, libraries, police departments, fire stations, and maybe even malls to issue the IDs or for that matter go door to door for those who can't get to the "official" locations?

My state does have a voter ID law. I learned about it when I went to vote for the 2008 election. Because I mostly followed national news I had no clue and certainly did not get a letter telling me it was coming. If I would have not had an approved ID I would have been up the creek.

If you can insure no one entitled to vote, not one person, will be prevented from voting I can accept voter ID laws, but the states are not doing that. Not only are they not doing that they are using a process which is much harder for those who lean Democrat than Republican.

[Igel]

1. Most states with voter ID requirements have multiple ways of proving ID.

They vary quite a bit.

IIRC, in TX, at least, everything goes back to proving citizenship, first and foremost. Residency doesn't cut it--lots of illegal immigrants can easily prove residency (some can prove citizenship, if their fake ID is good enough, and some get it through fraud). For voter registration, then you (also) have to prove residency, but a DL or DOT photo ID often does that all by itself.

The driver's license is now, in most states, supposed to be based on documents that show citizenship or legal US residency. If only "legal residency," then they should say this. The TX DL is explicitly supposed to be proxy for a birth certificate unless otherwise indicated.

As an aside, when I got my TX DL I had, obviously, to go in in person and prove citizenship. We have motor voter registration--as do most places--and the clerks dutifully ask people if they wanted to register. But only really if you were black or Latino or young--"Democratlike". The white woman who "looked Republican" in front of me had to ask to register. I forgot to ask--in my 40s and white, in a mostly (R) area, they assumed "Republican" and didn't ask me.

In fact, the young Latino in front of me was asked and said "no". The Latino clerk asked again in Spanish and the guy responded in Spanish that he wasn't here legally--mind you, he'd just gotten his TX DL and that constituted fraud. The clerk said it didn't matter, they needed his vote. The illegal immigrant did the honest thing and left, waving dismissively at the clerk.

[Gothmog]

2. These laws are designed to reduce turnout

These voter suppression laws have nothing to do with voter fraud. The only reason for these laws is to reduce voter turnout by groups who tend to vote for Democrats.

[HopeHoops]

3. That's rhetorical, right? Of COURSE it is to disenfranchise likely Democratic voters.

[SoutherDem]

4. Very rhetorical.

[HopeHoops]

5. Yeah, we've got that bullshit in PA. I refused to show mine in the primary just to be obstinate.

If they don't get a stay order by November, I'll make a huge fuss, but probably have to show it to vote EVEN THOUGH I've got my fucking voter ID card in my wallet - like RIGHT NOW!