Feds OK Georgia law requiring photo ID to vote

[CatWoman]

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department on Friday approved a controversial Georgia law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls, and opponents immediately vowed to challenge the measure in federal court.

The decision, written by John Tanner, chief of the department's voting section, says that while Attorney General Alberto Gonzales doesn't object to the law, approval doesn't preclude lawsuits against it.

''It's not over yet. We will pursue litigation in federal court,'' said state Rep. Tyrone Brooks, chairman of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, which had filed an objection to the law with the Justice Department.

The Republican-backed measure sparked racial tension in the state's legislative session last spring. Most of Georgia's black lawmakers walked out of the state Capitol when it was approved.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-vote28.html

[Double T]

1. Blood and DNA samples will be required next

[xyzpdq_us]

10. They already have your fingerprint

Sucks to have to give up a fingerprint to get a license too. Gattica is coming next. Retinal scans, dna, what else do you want?

[newyawker99]

12. Hi xyzpdq_us!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[RubyDuby in GA]

2. We are screwed.

I need reasons not to leave this hellhole state......

[Atlanta Progressive]

3. 53 Drivers License Sites for 159 Counties. None in Atlanta

Doug Monroe from Creative Loafing has a great article on this.

[Thom Little]

11. Whaddaya wanna bet the pukes start shutting a lot of 'em down?

[Phentex]

4. Because we know voter fraud is SO prevalent...

Hell, we can't even GET people to the polls! And yet we need to show ID to prevent fraud? :eyes:

[RebelOne]

5. I had to show my drivers license when I voted

in the presidential election. Photo ID was required from everyone. This was in Cherokee County.

[MGKrebs]

6. That is not true.

I'm not saying you aren't telling the truth, but that they were incorrect to insist that you show the ID.

They may ask, but the only time, according to the previous law, you HAD to show picture ID was the first time you vote after registering. After that, you could show any of the 17 other types of ID, and even if you didn't have that,you could get a provisional ballot- even if you weren't on the voter roll.

[napi21]

13. You're right, but my hubby & I both had to show pic ID when we

voted in the Pres. election in both 2000 & 2004. It wasn't asked for in the interim elections though! Interesting!!!

[MGKrebs]

7. So, uh, are they training poll workers

on what are acceptable standards of recognition? Are there any standards? Or do we just leave it up to the whim of the poll worker to decide whether someone gets to vote or not?

Is the state going to automatically provide new ID's to chemotherapy patients?

Are the new ID's going to be renewable over the internet like drivers licenses? And if the photo is so danged important, why can you renew a drivers license over the internet anyway?

[Atlanta Progressive]

8. New York Times Calls Voter ID Law a "National Disgrace"

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/12/opinion/12mon1.html?ex=1126670400&en=5fcd2482b97ea730&ei=5070">Georgia's New Poll Tax

From Today's NYT Editorial:

In 1966, the Supreme Court held that the poll tax was unconstitutional. Nearly 40 years later, Georgia is still charging people to vote, this time with a new voter ID law that requires many people without driver's licenses - a group that is disproportionately poor, black and elderly - to pay $20 or more for a state ID card. Georgia went ahead with this even though there is not a single place in the entire city of Atlanta where the cards are sold. The law is a national disgrace.

[dajoki]

9. what a disgrace!!

i posted about this on GDP http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2084005

[Laelth]

14. Federal Judge enjoined the implementation of this law.

More here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1858552&mesg_id=1858552

-Laelth

[CatWoman]

15. thanks for posting the update

that's what I was about to do :hi:

[Laelth]

16. Great minds ...

You know the rest. :)

-Laelth