The Senate is debating Voter ID Cards right now.

[TayTay]

This is the text of the amendment:

SA 4085. Mr. McCONNELL submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2611, to provide for comprehensive immigration reform and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:


At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. __X. IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.

(a) Requirement for Identification Cards to Include Citizenship Information.--Subsection (b) of section 202 of the REAL ID Act of 2005 (49 U.S.C. 30301 note) is amended by redesignating paragraphs (8) and (9) as paragraphs (9) and (10), respectively, and by inserting after paragraph (7) the following new paragraph:

``(8) An indication of whether the person is a United States citizen.''.

(b) Identification Required for Voting in Person.--

(1) IN GENERAL.--Title III of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15481 et seq.) is amended by redesignating sections 304 and 305 as sections 305 and 306, respectively, and by inserting after section 303 the following new section:

``SEC. 304. IDENTIFICATION OF VOTERS AT THE POLLS.

``(a) In General.--Notwithstanding the requirements of section 303(b), each State shall require individuals casting ballots in an election for Federal office in person to present before voting a current valid photo identification which is issued by a governmental entity and which meets the requirements of subsection (b) of section 202 of the REAL ID Act of 2005 (49 U.S.C. 30301 note).

``(b) Effective Date.--Each State shall be required to comply with the requirements of subsection (a) on and after May 11, 2008.''.

(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.--Section 401 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15511) is amended by striking ``and 303'' and inserting ``303, and 304''.

(c) Funding for Free Photo Identifications.--Subtitle D of title II of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15401 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:



``PART 7--PHOTO IDENTIFICATION

``SEC. 297. PAYMENTS FOR FREE PHOTO IDENTIFICATION.

``(a) In General.--In addition to any other payments made under this subtitle, the Election Assistance Commission shall make payments to States to promote the issuance to registered voters of free photo identifications for purposes of meeting the identification requirements of section 304.

``(b) Eligibility.--A State is eligible to receive a grant under this part if it submits to the Commission (at such time and in such form as the Commission may require) an application containing--

``(1) a statement that the State intends to comply with the requirements of section 304; and

``(2) a description of how the State intends to use the payment under this part to provide registered voters with free photo identifications which meet the requirements of such section.

``(c) Use of Funds.--A State receiving a payment under this part shall use the payment only to provide free photo identification cards to registered voters who do not have an identification card that meets the requirements of section 304.

``(d) Allocation of Funds.--

``(1) IN GENERAL.--The amount of the grant made to a State under this part for a year shall be equal to the product of--

``(A) the total amount appropriated for payments under this part for the year under section 298; and

``(B) an amount equal to--

``(i) the voting age population of the State (as reported in the most recent decennial census); divided by

``(ii) the total voting age population of all eligible States which submit an application for payments under this part (as reported in the most recent decennial census).

``SEC. 298. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

``(a) In General.--In addition to any other amounts authorized to be appropriated under this subtitle, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary for the purpose of making payments under section 297.

``(b) Availability.--Any amounts appropriated pursuant to the authority of this section shall remain available until expended.''.

CALL YOUR SENATORS! This type of voting restriction should not be stuck into an immigration bill without extensive hearings and input from the public. Don't let the Senate disenfranchise millions of people.

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. What is the freakin point, with all the "vote by mail" fertilizer?

Who's going to be checking IDs? The postman?

[TayTay]

3. The point is to cut off Democratic voter at the very beginning

If potential Democratic voters can't register, they can't vote. If you can insert enough provisions that make it harder for the poor, the elderly, the disabled, minorities and immigrants from voting, then you can make it harder for Democrats to win.

This makes machine fraud unnecessary. Why bother with that stuff when you have legally undercut the Democratic vote by stopping large numbers of people from registering?

McConnell is a piece of work. He is using the corruptions in Dem big cities, including Chicago, to say that the biggest voting problem in America today is dead people voting. Not machine fraud, not loading voting machines onto the backs of trucks and driving them around so voters can't use them, not voting lines that make voters wait for hours and hours to vote, but the fact that dead people voted in Chicago.

[ProSense]

4. The Repubs are trying to legalize

vote suppression.

[w4rma]

10. Seems like they want a national ID, too.

Soon we'll have to check our papers at the border of every state.

[MH1]

2. Dailykos diary is up - please recommend!!

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/5/24/92753/9497

[TayTay]

5. Right to vote kick! n/t

[babylonsister]

6. Thanks for the heads-up! nt

[whometense]

7. Outrageous.

Rachel Maddow interviewed Staff Director at the Senate Democrats Communication Center, Andy Fois and asked about the conference committee for this bill.

According to Fois, Reid was able to get the conference committee packed with reasonable people who want to see a workable bill passed, so at least the House bill will be strongly opposed. He does work for Reid - I do hope this is true.

[TayTay]

9. Sen. Dorgan voted Aye!

Why would he vote for this hastily added amendment? Anyone?

[Mass]

13. It is a vote to kill the amendment.

[TayTay]

14. You are right. AYE is the correct vote to kill this awful amendment

My apologies. In my haste to make this known, I wrote this down wrong.

AYE and Sen. Dorgan are both correct!

[acmejack]

8. I was recently required to get a State of Texas ID card.

I had to bring my SS card to renew my driver's license, which I didn't since I can't drive any more. I also had to present three forms of ID to get the ID Card, including a Birth Certificate. I checked and under Texas law I did not have valid ID, I was using a VA disabled veteran ID card. The DPS informed me I was subject to arrest, so I got the card, I hate jail. It is barely tolerable if you have a bunch of protester friends with you, no fun at all alone.

[TayTay]

12. Imagine not having a car or driver license

and not being to take time off from work to gather all this stuff. Imagine elderly voters who might not have the time to decipher all this stuff. Imagine not having a ride available to ferry you around to all the places you need to get to to get all this info.

This is how it works. It sounds reasonable, but it's an undue burden on a lot of people.

[Patiod]

23. Eliminates a LOT of city folks, both black and white, who don't drive

but ALL DEMS

Smart, huh?

[maine_raptor]

11. Will someone explain to me the difference

between this and "National ID Card"?

I don't see a dime's worth of difference here. You'll need this to vote, if your "native-born" or not.

This is a back door attempt at creating such a monster.

Coming soon to a street corner near you, a cop saying; "You're papers, and be quick about it."

[TayTay]

15. Yup.

And they are sneaking it into an Immigration bill early in the morning before West Coast are even at work. Sigh! Rethugs are evil.

[whometense]

17. Frist is loathesome.

Saw him for a second (that was all I could take) on Hardball yesterday, all mealymouthed and pious. He is a man without a core; he'll say or do anything in order to get what he wants. And he's got a lot of company on his side of the aisle.

[Mass]

16. Do you think that it may be a way the GOP found to kill the bill.

If it passes, will the Democrats (or at least enough of them) vote against cloture, in which case the bill would be stopped again.

[maxrandb]

21. ROTFLMAO

Dems vote against cloture??? Did I miss the part where the Dems got spine replacement surgery??

- An Air Force General running the CIA
- Wingnuts on the Federal Courts
- More Tax-cuts for the rich
- FBI raiding Democratic lawmakers office
- FCC dropping suit against the NSA

Someone please wake me when we get an opposition party.

I'm out of here DU. My "fun-meter" is peaked!!!

[TayTay]

18. There have been a few Repub defections

Any Dems who have voted Nay (or to not table this bill and thus allow it to go forward for more discussion and possible inclusion in the Immigration bill?)

[TayTay]

19. Motion not tabled.

This will go forward.

[maxrandb]

20. Just a stupid question, but

IS THIS EVEN CONSTITUTIONAL?????

How this could pass the Constitutional muster, I have no clue. I guess with our current Supreme Court, they would probably rule 5-4 that it's Constitutional.

Talk about legalized voter suppression. I want my country back!!!!

[TayTay]

22. We have to stop this.

Call or write the ACLU and every voting rights group you know. We can't allow millions of people to be disenfranchised over a hastily thrown together amendment to a bill that the Senate wants to clear so it can go on a week's vacation.

This is wrong.

[Patiod]

24. Can't we rally the fundie nuts with the 666 thing?

"needing a mark to buy and sell" and that sort of nonsense?

I say use their own wackiness against them.

[dogday]

25. Anyone seeing any of this in the M$M? nt

[truckin]

26. Look at what Barack Obama has to say about this Bill in an

article that does not even mention the voter ID cards:

"This is probably the single most important thing we can do in terms of reducing the inflow of undocumented workers, making sure we can enforce in a systematic way rules governing who gets hired," Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said Tuesday.

http://apnews.myway.com//article/20060524/D8HQ7DNG0.html

[truckin]

27. I believe that the amendment has been killed. Can anyone

verify this?

[dogday]

28. I can, see this post

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1272914

[truckin]

29. Thanks Dogday