Posted by MG on October 31, 2012 at 09:16:46
In Reply to: Re: What's worse ...yardsigns? ...or Republicans stealing voting rights? posted by Pastor Don on October 29, 2012 at 11:42:49:
The difficulties in getting photo ID have to do with quite a few factors for a particular portion of the population, i.e. "the young, minority, elderly, and low-income voters, as well as on voters with disabilities."
From theBrennanCenter.org:
Every voter should demonstrate that they are who they say they are before voting. That form of proof should not include restrictive documentation requirements like overly burdensome photo ID or redundant proof of citizenship requirements that serve to block millions of eligible American citizens from voting.
Improvements in voting technology and modernization of our voter registration system will both increase efficiency and close the door on mistakes and fraud. Where there are clear policy solutions that resolve concerns about both election integrity and free and fair access to the polls, American citizens should not be subject to costly restrictive documentation requirements that limit access to the polls.
Many citizens find it hard to get government photo IDs, because the underlying documentation like birth certificates (the ID one needs to get ID) is often difficult or expensive to come by. At the same time, voter ID policies are far more costly to implement than many assume.
To conclude: obviously voters need to require proof, that's always been the case, but the new Republican voter ID laws have been designed for only one purpose, as the Republican House Majority Leader in Pennsylvania Mike Turzai made clear when a new voter ID law was enacted there saying it's "going to allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania.”