Monday, March 12, 2012
Photo Finished
Controversial voter ID laws in Texas and Wisconsin were shut down due to concerns over discrimination at the polls. Both laws would have required voters to show photo IDs before casting a ballot. In the case of Texas, the U.S. Justice Department tossed out the law because it would violate the federal Voting Rights Act and make it particularly difficult for Latinos to vote. In Wisconsin, a state judge found the law unconstitutional, saying that this particular effort to prevent voter fraud creates too many barriers for poor and minority voters. Supporters of the ID laws in both states plan to appeal the decisions and Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has said the photo ID law is "consistent with the Constitution." Of course, since photography hadn't yet been invented when the Constitution was written, one wonders whether the founders were particularly prescient or whether they supported some kind of etching or watercolor ID law.
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Is voter fraud honestly that big of an issue?
ReplyDeleteHowever, don't you need an ID to drive, drink, smoke, purchase/own a firearm and receive most government assistance? Is it that tough to comply to this?
Also, is there any strong indication that overall voter turnout is significantly less with this policy in place?
This is one of those issues that cuts both ways. Those on the right will say that voter fraud is a huge issue, though frankly most information I've seen shows that while it is always something to fight, it happens about equally on both sides so it's kind of a wash. As for the ID part, it actually can be surprisingly difficult for elderly or poor people to get a picture ID, because they might not have the right documentation, etc. And in most states it does cost money. The reason it tends to cause such an uproar is because it most effects poor people and minorities, who are two groups that have struggled with voting rights for a long time. It is a tricky issue.
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